The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: Bran is a social outcast at school, he is the one the bullies like to pick on; ignored by almost all the others, including the girl he has a crush on. Making things more awkward are his growing feelings for his best friend's older sister. Tired of the bullying Bran tries to stop it, from there things spiral out of control, will he realize the truth in time and finally be free?
1. Chapter 1

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 1 of my new Game of Thrones story, modern AU with a Bran/Meera pairing as the main pairing; enjoy.

A few notes, some of the characters will have their ages altered, yet some may still seem too old for school, the reason they are there is they flunked a couple of years or so and have to repeat them, just thought I'd clear that up, make things easier to explain :)

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

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**Chapter 1**

Seventeen year old Bran Stark sighed as he looked out of the window. It was Monday morning, looking out his window he could see a light frost on the ground; it was the middle of winter. While there would still be low temperatures he knew there wouldn't be any frost at school. Living in the north, at Winterfell meant his family always got the worst weather during winter. But the family didn't mind, they endured it well; living in their ancestral home. When they were younger the snow that always fell, even in summer sometimes was the perfect playground. Nowadays things were slightly different, they were more grown up now after all. Bran still smiled however at the happy memories; revelling in them and the simple joy they could bring. It wasn't easy, he felt, being the fourth child; his parents were Eddard Stark, a government senator and Catelyn Stark who had been born into the Tully family who were senators for the Riverlands, the central region of Westeros. He remember during his childhood how he would always play with his siblings; his older brother Robb, his two older sisters, Sansa and Arya and his younger brother Rickon. But times change after all, Robb was now twenty-two and Sansa twenty, they had both graduated high school and were at college. This year at school, providing she didn't follow her friend's example and flunk several classes, his sister Arya, who was now eighteen, would be graduating. That would leave him and twelve year old Rickon the only ones still in school.

Bran moved reluctantly away from the window and over to where his school uniform was laid out. As it was winter the boys uniform consisted of a black button-up long-sleeve shirt; a snow white vest; snow white tie; a dark green suit jacket; night blue coat; black woollen gloves; black trousers and black shoes. As he pulled the clothes on, he glanced up and caught sight of his reflection in the TV screen. Apart from Arya and their cousin Jon; all the current generation of the Stark family had inherited their mother's auburn hair and blue eyes. Arya and Jon inherited the Stark family traits, long face, brown hair, grey eyes. Jon was the son of Eddard's sister Lyanna, who had concieved him after a one night stand with Rhaegar Targaryen; son of the former president. Lyanna was now abroad due to her work, Rhaegar lived with his wife in the family estate, although he still called and spoke to Jon on occasion. Jon was also away at college, he was the same age as Robb. There was one thing that set Bran apart from his siblings; his appauling eyesight which required him to wear glasses, such as his current pair which were rectangular and black with blueish edges. Shaking his head Bran finished getting dressed, adjusted his glasses and sighed. He was actually reluctant to go to school.

Anyone hearing that would be surprised as Bran had a reputation in school, for being something of a nerd, his academic skill was unusually high; he was also still an unapologetic lover of anime and such. No, he had a different reason, a personal reason for not wanting to go to school.

'_But if I don't go, I'll just be prolonging the inevitable, I can't avoid it indefinitely'_ He thought sadly.

So, with a heavy sigh he left his room and headed downstairs. Downstairs he found his siblings already eating breakfast. Rickon had just started his first year at Bran's school and as such, wore the same style of uniform as Bran. Arya was also present but wasn't wearing her full uniform. The girls uniform consisted of a black long-sleeve blouse; a deep/dark green blazer; white tie; a black short (just above the knees) skirt; wool tights; black leather shoes and black leather gloves. Arya however wasn't wearing the skirt, tights or shoes. Instead she was wearing a pair of thick trousers and boots, she also had a leather jacket on. The family all understood why however and knew Arya would change into her full uniform at school. The reason for her current attire was simple, once they lef the house, Bran and Rickon got into Catelyn's car, she would drop them off on her way to work. Arya however would be taking her motorbike; as she always did.

Bran was surprised their parents let Arya ride it; it had once belonged to Jon, but he couldn't take it with him when he went to college. Around the time Arya qualified for a driving license she had found the motorbike and, with the help of one of her friends, a young man named Gendry, the bike had been fixed up, Arya had somehow convinced her parents to let her use and now she rode it to school. From the back seat of their mother's car, Bran and Rickon watched as Arya waved to them, got on the motorbike, pulled on her helmet and started it up before driving away. Catelyn soon drove away and they were on their way to school. When they arrived they found Arya's motorbike parked; she had already arrived. The two boys said goodbye to their mother, got out of the car and headed into school while Catelyn drove to work. Rickon hurried off to join his friends while Bran hung around awkwardly, looking around at the school. That was one of his issues, school wasn't much fun if you were socially awkward like he was. In fact, not counting his siblings, he could count the number of friends he had on one hand, one finger even if he only counted friends actually at school. His only school friend was Jojen Reed, son of Howland Reed, a close friend to Eddard Stark. The only other person he was friends with was Jojen's older sister Meera, but she was the same age as Robb and so, had already graduated school.

Jojen however wasn't here yet so he looked around; worriedly. His other main concern about school, had started a few years ago and recently got worse. He wasn't sure how, he was certain he hadn't offended anyone, but he seemed to become a prime target at school for the bullies, led by Joffrey Baratheon, a boy Sansa once dated, he should have graduated already but had flunked several times, meaning he had to repeat a few years, most of his crew was like that too. Looking around nervous he spotted the jocks, many of whom were part of Joffrey's crowd, Joffrey himself was mercifully absent. Luckily they were too far away to notice him, gathered with them were a few of the cheerleaders; they were probably talking about the next game. He recognized one of the cheerleaders right away, it was Myrcella Baratheon, Joffrey's younger sister, yet she couldn't be more different if she tried, much like her younger brother Tommen, Bran couldn't believe two nice people like them could be related to Joffrey. It was then he spotted Arya, now in her full uniform; she was sititng under the tree in the centre of the courtyard. Her friends were with her, Gendry, a young man of twenty who had also flunked a few times; a boy in Arya's year called Hot Pie and another boy, the same age as Arya and Hot Pie, called Lommy, but he had flunked last year so he was in some of Bran's classes.

It was then he spotted her; a girl a year younger than he was, with long black hair and hazel eyes, she also had really long legs and medium sized breasts and was tall for her age with pale skin. He knew her well, her name was Guinevere Frey, although those closest to her called her Gwen. She was the granddaughter of Walder Frey, a very old but still very prominent politician, he had outlived seven wives and had married his eighth; Gwen was a granddaughter through his sixth wife. She lived in a house with her parents, and a few cousins and half siblings, one of many such houses on the large Frey estate; all of them well built and comfortable to live in. Bran knew her well from childhood; when he was really young his mother used to take him to the Riverlands, specifically to Riverrun where her family lived, for visits. As the Frey Estate wasn't too far away he soon met Gwen and they played together as children. Back then he remember a very sweet girl who loved baking, she also turned to be an intellectual equal for Bran who had been smart even as a child. Yet here, in high school, she had changed, whatever friendship they had was apparently gone, they were no more than classmates now apparently.

Despite all his attempts; he quickly found out she wouldn't talk to him anymore and he had tried a few times. He sighed sadly as he thought about it, he wanted to remain friends with her at least, if they couldn't be more, He couldn't deny he had a crush on her; a strong one. He thought once she had felt the same, after all they had been childhood sweethearts, she had promised him they would always be together. He remembered that somewhere in the attic at home, was a box that had photos of their play marriage back when they were kids, but he wasn't even sure she even remembered that. Everything had turned for the worst this year, when the bullying got worse, and she started dating one of the boys in the football team. One of Joffrey's crew who insisted in mocking him. She could barely look at Bran now, would pass by him like he was no one, and he just wondered sometimes 'where did their friendship go'?

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 2 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Yup.  
Veridissima: Glad you enjoyed it; yeah, well, we can only wait and see, yeah they certainly were, glad you liked that part :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, Lyanna is the same I should mention.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

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**Chapter 2**

Guinevere Frey smiled to herself as she joined her group of friends. She couldn't believe how much things had changed over the past few years for her, or how much she had changed. She had truly grown from when she was a child; she no longer had to wear glasses, her braces were gone, better still any pimples of blemishes were also gone and she was no longer pudgy as she had been when she was younger. Now she was slender, beautiful, perfect, still the very memory of that haunted her.

'_I was never as fat as Walda was, but my brothers and half-brothers all still called me Fat Gwen.' _She recalled bitterly. _'Well, the jokes on them now, look at me now. Friends with so many cool people, able to go to parties without an escort; head of the cheerleading squad and dating one of the top footballers in the school.'_

She liked her new life, she felt important, well liked, she was finally away from the nerds who only ever wanted her around to study with them. She was finally with people who wanted her company for more sociable and fun reasons. Nowadays she only had one fear; that someone would take this perfect life away from her. What disturbed her most was the fact, she knew one person who could do so and would be able to do it easily.

That person was Bran Stark; her childhood playmate, he disappointingly stayed a nerd, still wore his glasses and remained pretty much unchanged in terms of likes and dislikes from their childhood together. She worried he might harbour the delusion that they were still meant to be together; she knew he had a deep crush on her after all.

'_He doesn't understand, what we had, that wasn't real.' _She told herself firmly. _'We were just children playing house; it was nice, but life isn't like that.'_

She could feel Bran's eyes on her and was afraid someone would notice, that they would ask if she knew him. She was scared that Bran would ruin her now perfect life; all he had to do was, either accidentally or on purpose, tell them how she used to be. Worse still she knew he still had the pictures to prove it. It was then she was distracted by an arm going around her waist and someone kissing her neck. She smiled, it was her boyfriend, Boros; he was a great football player but, she felt, dumb as a five year old. Still this didn't bother her, after all, while he still had some control in various parts of the relationship, she held the majority of control, thanks to her larger intelligence, even though she pretended to be stupider than she actually was.

"Hey Gwen." Boros remarked after he stopped kissing her neck. "That fucking weird kid is looking at you again."

She cringed and she glanced over to where Bran was and turned back to Boros and shrugged. "Um, yeah, weird, probably some creepy stalker, let's just ignore him."

Boros merely nodded and then suggested plans for what they could do tonight, as usual, his mind worked the same way, he expected her to blow him and in return he would dedicate his next game to her. Dedicating a game meant more importance however so she always agreed.

At that moment the bell went and everybody began to head to their classes. Bran cast one last longing look at Gwen; sighing and trying to ignore the hurt he felt when he saw her with Boros. As he walked to class he sighed, he just couldn't understand it.

'_I don't get it.' _He thought sadly. _'What's a beautiful, intelligent girl like Gwen, doing with…him?'_

He shook his head to clear those thoughts from it and instead focused on where he was going, he had to be careful after all. School corridors were prime spots for him to fall victim, mostly to the small time bullies, the ones that only tried to trip him up. In that he wasn't alone however, there were several people they tried to trip up; anyone not paying attention to their surroundings was fair game. Luckily however he managed to avoid them and reached his class. He smiled when he arrived, Jojen was there.

"Morning." Jojen greeted him, also smiling.

Bran stopped next to his only friend in school. "Morning Jojen, well, here we go."

Jojen nodded, knowing what Bran was referring to, every day was the same after all. "Bran, we can't just let this go on, if you just…"

"No." Bran said quickly. "If I tell anyone it'll get worse, you heard them, I can't say anything to anyone."

Jojen shook his head sadly as they entered the class; like Bran he as a prime target for Joffrey and his gang, but Bran was their main target, mainly because he never fought back. Jojen also couldn't help but feel that, despite Bran's words, things were about to get worse anyway.

Throughout class Bran worked and kept his head down, but that didn't stop him from hearing the whispers. They were coming from two members of Joffrey's group that were in his class, he tensed as he listened, knowing fearfully that they were talking about him.

"Yeah, Boros said that loser was undressing his girlfriend with his eyes." One of them stated. "He thinks we should let Joffrey know, see how he wants to handle it."

The other supressed a laugh. "You know Joffrey, he'll wanna teach that punk a lesson, but really, can we really blame him. You've seen Gwen Frey right, I'll be every guy on the team has done that at least once."

The other replied instantly. "True, but still, it's a matter of principal, we can't let some loser nerd think he has the right to do that."

The other agreed and Bran cringed, he knew they were looking at him. He fought to stay calm; but felt like his insides were writhing horribly. He knew right away that, by this lunch time, Joffrey would be after him. He shuddered to think what he would do. He glanced out the corner of his eye towards Jojen who sat next to him. But Jojen hadn't heard what was being said, Bran wondered just how his friend would have reacted if he had, or if Bran told him about it. In the end however he said nothing and, as the day progressed, he tried hard to ignore the churning in his stomach. When lunch time came Bran faced it with dread, wondering what was going to happen to him.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 3 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah, it's sad.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, it's hard on him.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, she is obsessed with her new life, to the extent that she's kind of delusional.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Lunch time came and Bran's fears mounted. His mind raced, his eyes darting everywhere. He was looking, fearfully for Joffrey; he knew that his main tormentor would likely have heard from the jocks about what he supposedly had done earlier. He knew that once Joffrey found him, he would start to torment him; he wondered how Joffrey would torture him today. Joffrey always altered his treatment of Bran based on his mood, Bran's 'crime' and if he was alone or with his friends and therefore if he was trying to impress them or not. Soon he and Jojen were standing in the courtyard. There were a few other groups standing around; Bran and Jojen stood alone however. They tried hard to remain hidden, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, not wanting to give people targets for ridicule. For Bran however, he had an extra reason to hide. Jojen noticed his friend's agitation and grew concerned; he had seen Bran like this before and got to know the signs of when he was nervous, or nearly freaking out.

"Bran, are you alright?" Jojen asked, his tone of voice indicating he knew Bran was nervous and lying would be pointless.

Bran swallowed nervously and then spoke. "I…Joffrey's probably looking for me. They; his friend's think I was, looking inappropriately at Gwen. He's probably going to; I don't know."

Jojen grimaced as he realized what was going on; he just hoped things wouldn't turn out as he feared; yet he knew fearfully that they likely would.

Bran froze in fear; Jojen tensed too, Joffrey arrived in the courtyard. He was talking to his friends, while included Boros; along with a few others. Bran felt himself panicking, he looked around quickly.

'_I could run away; there's a door right behind me.' _He thought frantically but quickly quashed the idea. _'No, they already know I'm in the courtyard, if they don't find me they'll hear I ran off, then it'll be worse when they do catch me.'_

So he stayed where he was; trying to control his breathing which was getting frantic. Jojen looked over at Bran; worried, wishing there was something he could do. Sure enough, as Jojen feared, Joffrey and his group found them and walked over, smiling smugly. It was a miracle that Joffrey and his friends never got in trouble as they never wore their uniforms properly, despite the school's strong uniform policy. But that was the last thing on anyone's mind as they witnessed the events about to unfold. They stopped in front of Bran and he stood, frozen, waiting for his torment to begin. Jojen was pushed against the wall by Meryn Trant who then blocked him from moving; the others surrounded the group while Joffrey stood directly in front of Bran. Bran fought to stay calm, waiting for Joffrey to begin, despite saying rigid his hands gave away his true nervousness, shaking; he tried to hide him from view, so as not to give anything away, not to give more ammunition to tease him with.

Joffrey smirked; his prey was now surrounded and he could do as he pleased. He considered what he had been told; trying to think of the best way to teach the pathetic loser a lesson. As he considered he noted the other pathetic nerd who always hung out with Bran, watching him worriedly, and an idea occurred to him. He could humiliate them both; especially with this audience, the onlookers were watching, waiting for the latest incident between Joffrey and Bran to occur.

Joffrey smirked and spoke. "So, Bran, there you are…How are you and your boyfriend this afternoon."

He smirked as he spoke, glancing pointedly at Jojen, making it all to clear who he meant. He spoke loud enough to ensure he could be heard. As he expected both Bran and Jojen's faces went beet red; it wasn't the first time Joffrey had accused them of being homosexual and being in a relationship. As usual the crowd laughed at their reaction and Bran and Jojen knew they would be teased about that for the rest of the day, and likely throughout the week until it got old and then it would be forgotten until Joffrey revived it. Still, to hear Joffrey so casually make those remarks; knowing all too well Joffrey's bigoted views on homosexuality, Bran couldn't help but feel rankled as well as embarrassed by the comments.

Bran couldn't help but feel belligerent due to Joffrey's remarks not only affecting him but Jojen too.

"He's not my boyfriend." He choked out;

But that sudden spike of anger disappeared and he suddenly felt fearfully again as Joffrey glared at him. Bran feared for a moment that Joffrey was going to hit him.

But instead Joffrey merely snarled at him. "If I say he is, then he is, understand. Or do I have to make the two of you kiss like the fags you are!"

Bran bowed his head. "No."

Satisfied with Bran's submission and once again being in complete control, Joffrey smirked again.

"Good, well, I think you've started to learn your lesson." He stated darkly. "Now, you're going to apologize to Boros for looking inappropriately at his girlfriend, and you'll do it, properly."

Bran swallowed nervously; but before he could react; Meryn, no longer needing to hold Jojen back, shoved Bran. Bran fell to his knees anyway; he inhaled shakily and did as he was told. Boros merely laughed and shoved Bran down to the ground again. Just then an angry shout got their attention. Joffrey spun around; he glared when he spotted Bran's sister advancing towards him. He growled; knowing all too well of her temper; she just had to ruin his fun.

"See you later Bran, maybe we'll have more fun some other time." He remarked sarcastically before he and his friends left.

Arya glared as she watched that asshole Joffrey and his friends leaving. She turned back to her brother; worried for him. His friend Jojen was helping him back to his feet. She hurried over as Jojen helped Bran brush himself off. The crowd which had been watching, and in some cases, laughing, was now melting away since the show was over. Arya was disgusted by them; but now wasn't the time. When she reached Bran he was standing upright and seemed to be okay again; but Arya saw his face was red.

"Bran." She said hesitantly.

Bran turned to her and smiled sadly. "Hey Arya; I…"

Arya shook her head. "Don't try it Bran; I saw that asshole was harassing you."

"At least he didn't hit me." Bran remarked sadly before shaking his head. "Just forget Arya, it's not worth the hassle, c'mon, we need to get something to eat."

With that Bran headed towards the cafeteria; Jojen glanced helplessly at Arya and hurried to follow his friend. Arya watched her brother go, frustrated and feeling helpless; wondering why Bran always acted this way; he kept deflecting, pretending the incidents weren't a problem, yet they were clearly hurting him. Yet he always stated that telling anyone would be pointless, that it would just make it worse. Arya could only pray that something changed, before things got too much for her poor brother.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 4 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah well, it'll take some time.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks; yeah, I do too :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, that can be true, but not in Joffrey's case, he's not the homosexual Baratheon child in this one; his only reason for teasing Bran that way is because of Bran's friendship with Jojen, making Bran a sadly easy target.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, don't mess with Arya's family or she'll make you pay for it :)  
LostCriesofTime: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked the descriptions; yeah the motorbike's origins will be revealed in much fuller detail next chapter; she is but she's anxious for fame due to her mindset; yeah, too true, sadly he remains infatuated with her. Glad you liked the part with Arya; well, just wait and see :)  
Guest: Thanks, no problem :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Gwen suppressed the urge to groan; she had just finished eating her lunch and Boros had finally joined her, along with Joffrey, Meryn and a few of the others. They were bragging and joking about what they had just done not too long ago; in the courtyard.

'_Honestly, those idiots; I can't believe they did that; I told them to ignore him.'_ She thought angrily; her anger actually coming from fear. _'They lack any subtlety; Bran will know why they attacked him. Yeah, great idea guys, just give him a motive to retaliate against me.'_

Gwen shook her head; those idiots had mocked Bran, in order to get 'revenge' for him staring at her earlier in the day. Worse still he knew that was the reason, he could easily get his revenge by revealing the pictures of their childhood. She shook her head at the boys bragging.

"Honestly guys, that was totally unnecessary." She said finally. "I told you Boros, just to ignore him."

Boros looked at her confused. "Huh, but Gwen."

Joffrey smirked. "Why worry Gwen, who cares about that loser anyway; he deserves to be taught a lesson."

Gwen rolled her eyes; she might've guessed they wouldn't get it, especially Joffrey who seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting Bran for some reason she couldn't fathom. Boros at least had the excuse of being thick as wood, but Joffrey, while not all that smart academically had a certain predatory cunning, which certainly helped in his bullying efforts. Still, she could only hope that nothing would come of their 'efforts' and that Bran was still as meek as she remembered, if so she could at least be assured he wouldn't retaliate then.

By the end of lunch the confrontation in the courtyard was all around the school. Bran kept his head down; trying to avoid any further confrontations. Yet he blushed in shame every time he heard someone talking about it. Then, to make matters worse, in the corridors between classes, he found his footsteps being dogged and people who were not present, but were friends of Joffrey, so they knew anyway. They took every opportunity to tease him further; even making further insinuations regarding the rumours about him and Jojen being a couple.

Bran fought hard to stay in control of his emotions. _'Gods please, just make them stop; why do they keep doing this. Especially Joffrey, what did I ever do to him; I hardly knew him, Sansa was the only one of us who really knew him. How could she have ever dated someone like him?'_

Still keeping his head down, trying to ignore what was being said to and about him, he hurried to his next class. However this unfortunate distraction meant that he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and so, he ended up falling victim to the trap he usually avoided so well. He felt the foot catch his ankle but by then it was too late and he fell. He only just got his hands out to catch himself in time. He winced at the pain that jolted in through his hands and knees. He opened his eyes and noticed his vision was blurry; his glasses had come off.

Ignoring the stinging in his hands and knees, he quickly fumbled around, trying desperately to find his glasses. He could hear the voices all around, the laughter.

"Aww, look, baby Bran fell over." One of the people in the crowd called out while laughing.

Bran finally found his glasses, put them back on and picked himself up. He did his best to ignore them, wiping his eyes, his face burning in shame. Finally he made it to class and hurried inside; hoping that focusing on work would grant him some respite. He knew all too well that the rumours and now talk of his fall would last until the end of school. It was only ever at home he was truly safe as far as he knew. As such he was greatly relieved when the final bell rang; he slipped away carefully, enduring the whispering and laughter. Before long it faded away and he was safe, mainly due to the fact that he had now joined Arya. None of his tormentors were brave enough to taunt him while she was there; they knew of her short temper all too well. Rickon and Jojen also joined them as they waited by the school parking lot.

"Hey, guys." Arya said suddenly turning to her brothers. "I…There's something I need to do, could you tell mum I'll be home later."

Bran and Rickon looked at each other and back at Arya; seeing their expressions she smiled.

"Don't worry; just tell her I'll be home before dinner."

Rickon nodded. "Okay, no worries."

Bran also nodded and finally Catelyn arrived, as did Jojen's ride home. So, passing the message on, they all headed home while Arya remained behind. She turned and headed back towards the school, specifically the girls locker room.

Jojen remained quiet the whole ride home. The person who had picked him up was not his parents, but his sister who was home from college. Meera Reed noted her brother's preoccupation and was worried. While Jojen was quiet he was never this quiet.

'_He looks upset about something.'_ She thought quietly to herself. _'I; I better talk to him, see if I can help. But; how do I even ask him something like that, I don't want him to think I'm prying too much or anything.'_

She finally pulled into the driveway and they headed into the school. Jojen headed upstairs to get changed; meanwhile Meera headed through to the kitchen; thinking quietly to herself; wondering how best to approach her brother about what was troubling him. As it turned out she didn't need to worry. When Jojen came down a few minutes later, he made up his mind and sat down opposite her at the kitchen table.

"Meera, I…I was wondering if you could help me, I'm worried about Bran."

That caught Meera's attention; she knew Bran well, even befriended him back when they were all younger. "What's happened to him?"

Jojen then explained about the incidents at school and his fears for how deeply affected Bran would be by what happened.

Meera bit her lip. "That's, Gods, that's terrible. He won't tell anyone?"

Jojen shook his head. "He thinks if he does, it'll just get worse."

"I see…Well; listen, I'll do anything I can to help, just, let me know okay." She said as reassuringly as he could. "Tell Bran too okay; I'll be glad to help him out."

Jojen thanked her and left the kitchen. Meanwhile Meera thought about Bran, remembering her friendship with him and a few, awkward things that had developed in regards to her thoughts towards him recently.

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End of chapter, finally Meera makes her first appearance, minor for now, but her role will gradually expand, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 5 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, it is pretty sad, unfortunately, it's more likely to get worse before getting better.  
LostCriesofTime: Yeah, it's pretty sad for Bran; Well, here's your answer; glad you liked her little appearance, yeah, I thought it might make things more interesting.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, especially Gwen's thoughts.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

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**Chapter 5**

"Okay girls, practice is over." Coach Tarth called out.

The cheerleading squad stopped to catch their breath after their strenuous practice. Amongst them was a girl of eighteen with long curly blonde hair, done up in a ponytail, and green eyes. She was rather slender and, like the other girls was wearing her cheerleading uniform. The uniform consisted of a night blue short plaid skirt; a deep/dark green-black long sleeved top; white socks and white sneakers. The girls name was Myrcella Baratheon; second child and only daughter of President Robert Baratheon and his wife, Cersei who was from the immensly wealthy Lannister family. She was also the younger sister of Joffrey, much to her displeasure and had a younger brother, Tommen. She brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face, the perspiration on her brow making them stick until she did so. The practice had been good she felt, yet when she looked over at Gwen she remembered what that girl's boyfriend and Joffrey had done at lunch. She frowned at that; one thing she couldn't tolerate was bullying, yet sadly her brother seemed to be the worst bully in the history of the school. Despite agreeing to go to a party with the girls and the football team later; she suddenly felt revulsion at their company and wanted some time to herself before the party. To that end, while the other girls headed off to the locker room to shower and get changed, Myrcella offered to stay behind and help clean up the equipment.

After she finished helping tidy up Coach Tarth thanked her and left briksly, in her usual fashion. Myrcella headed for the locker room, all the other girls had already left so the room was empty. All the other girls would be in a rush to go prepare themselves for the party; Myrcella had no such compunction. She opened her locker and retrieved her towel and shower supplies; she hooked her hands in the waistband of her skirt when suddenly a voice startled her.

"Wait, not yet, I like that outfit on you It turned out the locker room wasn't empty like Myrcella thought.

She spun around, stifling a scream, her eyes wide. She relaxed however when she saw it was Arya.

The Stark girl was sitting casually on one of the benches, she had already removed her skirt, tights and shoes and wore her motorbike trousers and boots in their place, her blazer and tie were gone too, replaced with a leather jacket.

Myrcella finally regained control of herself. "Arya, what are you doing here?

Arya pouted as she stood up and walked closer to Myrcella. "I missed you, I wanted to see you.

She admitted. Myrcella realized suddenly that anyone could walk in and she tried to warn Arya of that; the brunette girl however simply waved off her concerns.

"There's nobody here Cella, just you and me. She stated before closing the gap between them and; pulling Myrcella's hair out of it's ponytail, kissed her.

Myrcella melted into the kiss, her protests disappearing. She loved the feelings that coursed through her at times like this. They made her feel truly beautiful, more than that, she felt wanted, loved. She could feel Arya's hands on her body, one around her waist, holding her against the wall, the other under her skirt, massaging the inside of her upper thigh. Myrcella let out a soft moan at that, enjoying the sensation and found herself privately wishing for Arya's hand to travel just a little further up. Finally they parted for air; Arya smiled at her, noting her breathless expression.

"Are you going to the party?" She asked casually.

Myrcella bit her lip and admitted. "I promised the girls I would go; you know you're free to come too, even if we do keep...us, a secret."

Arya shook her head. "Yeah, right, no thanks. Could we go somewhere before you have to go then?"

Myrcella agreed. "I just need to shower and get dressed, then we can go."

Arya smiled and nodded.

"Okay. I'll just wait here" Myrcella threw her a look "What?! We have PE together; I've seen you take a shower"

"Arya..."

"Oh sure... prude." she says pecking Myrcella's lips "I'll be outside waiting."

Arya left and Myrcella continued stripping off her cheerleading uniform, thinking about her relationship with Arya.

It was hard to spend time together, neither of them having come out to their families, besides that in school they hanged out in different crowds - Myrcella spent her time with the popular crowd, she was part of the cheerleading team, she had once dated Trystane Martell; before coming to terms with her sexuality; and she was a Baratheon, yet also a Lannister through her mother. Arya was different, she was a tomboy and most of her friends were boys, particularly Hot Pie and Gendry and Lommy, she wore her hair short, always wore jeans and most times baggy T-shirts and sweats. But during a game of truth or dare they had kissed one night, at the time they pretending it meant nothing, but it stirred something within both of them. A later night, when Myrcella had been at a sleepover with Sansa and the girls and had come down for a glass of water and caught the younger stark girl sneaking in and they got to talking about it - everything changed since then. Arya had left Myrcella in the showers and was outside waiting for her, the school was empty apart for a few teachers and the janitors and none of them were nearby. Arya was resting against her motorbike - it was Jon's old bike, she had found it in the garage a few months back, she and Gendry (mostly Gendry) had worked really hard on it and were able to fix it. Gendry had taught her how to drive it, even if Jon and Robb had already taught her a few things before. After that it was the matter of convincing her parents, especially her mother - dad could never say no to her - but finally her mother got that Arya would still drive it even if she was denied, so she agreed to allow it if Arya promised to always wear her helmet - and Arya had, for once, did as her mother said.

Arya was trying to decide where to take Myrcella, she knew they couldn't take long, since Cella couldn't be more than what was fashionable late, and they couldn't mess her clothes or hair - sometimes she could be so much like Sansa  
Arya's thoughts were interrupted when she saw Myrcella walking down the school steps, her hair was lose apart for the part held in by a bow on the left side, she was hearing a summer dress and a light jacket over the clothes - she looked beautiful.

"You're already dressed for the party" arya said surprised.

"I was hoping you would give me a reason not to stop home." Myrcella explained with a grin. Arya also grinned and went for a kiss, but Myrcella pulled away.

"Someone could see us." She whispered.

Arya shook her head "Nobody is here. Just a quick one."

Myrcella relented and pecked her lips, before they both put on their helmets and climbed on the bike.

"So where are we going?" Myrcella asked from behind her, hugging her waist, while still on the bike and kissing Arya's neck - it was moments like this that Myrcella was so grateful for Arya's short hair

"Don't do that you'll distract me" Arya warned before asking "Wanna eat something?"

"There will be food at the party" Myrcella whispered in Arya's ear, feeling incredibly guilty.

Arya nodded. "Right, the bay?!"

"Sure." so arya drove them to the Blackwater bay, and parked her bike in the parking lot

It was empty at this hour, so Myrcella eagerly took her girlfriend's hand and prepared to lead her to the sand.

Arya however stopped her. "You'll get your dress ruined if we go that way. It's bad enough that you already have helmet hair" she laughed before directing her. "Come with me"

Arya led her to another area and helped her through the rocks until they reached the top, and arya then removed her blouse dropping it on the rocks so Myrcella could sit without ruining her dress, it also left Arya naked from the waist up apart from her sports bra.

"You don't need to..." Myrcella begins to say but Arya shook her head.

"I know you. You're kinda like Sansa on that, so I'm not letting you go to your party with a dirty dress. That makes me a good girlfriend, right?"

Myrcella smiled coyly. "Very much so, especially if that allows me to see you in your bra."

"I thought it was only fair, after the treat i got on the locker room" Arya remarked with a laugh. Myrcella immediately kisses her and pushes her down, lying next to her, still on the blouse. They stayed there kissing, with Myrcella's hand rubbing slow circles on Arya's stomach; Arya's skin tingled pleasantly at Myrcella's feather light touch. Several minutes later they hear a phone ring - it's was Myrcella's

"Hi, Alla" She said answering it, while Arya still kissed her neckline "Yes, I'm going to the party". She paused as Alla replied. "Oh, you're already there. Okay, I can be there in 10. Bye, sweetie." She turned off the phone and looked at Arya's eyes looking up at her

"I need to go arya." She said softly.

"Okay." she stood up and helped Myrcella up before throwing on her blouse again, she smirked as she noted it now smelled like Myrcella "You wanna a ride?"

Myrcella bit her lip, worried; Arya quickly added "I can stop in the start of the street."

"Sure"

So with that they got on the bike again and drove away.

As they rode she felt Cella's phone vibrating again and then felt Myrcella holding tighter while she looked up the message.

"Your sister is coming." She announced. "She came down with Alla's cousin, Margaery."

"Oh, wait until my parents hear that Sansa came down and didn't stop at home. That'll be something to see." arya said laughing, before parking the bike, and letting Myrcella get off. Myrcella held her hand tighter, knowing they couldn't properly say goodbye here.

"Call me later?!" Myrcella asked

"No. i won't risk disturbing you, what if the other girls are still there, besides, _I_ might be asleep." Myrcella laughed at that and said.

"Yeah right, if i know you as well as I think, you'll still be up playing online with Gendry and the other boys."

Arya sighed and admitted. "Yeah, probably, text me?"

"Sure. Bye, Arry."

"Bye, Cella"

With that Myrcella watched her driving away before going to the party; both girls still thinking about each other and their relationship, especially the warm feelings they felt in those precious moments they spent together.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

For those of you wondering, the main reason for this pairing is that someone once challenged me to try and do a non Arya/Gendry Game of Thrones fic, I don't like to back down from challenges so I agreed and this was the alternate pairing I found easiest to do. However this is the only time I'll do it, every fic with them after this will be Arya/Gendry, just wanted to clear that up.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 6 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Glad you liked them; yeah, I thought so too :)  
LostCriesofTime: Glad you enjoyed it, oh there will be more scenes for the two of them, even while the focus will be on Bran and his struggles, don't forget Arya/Myrcella have their own struggles, remember neither of them have come out yet and that's just for starters.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked them, well, you'll get your chance eventually :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Bran sighed as he checked his homework again. He really didn't need to, it was all finished and he was simply waiting for the teacher to arrive at class in order to collect it. He was simply checking it to give himself something to do in order to take his mind off things. After a couple of weeks things had died down regarding the rumours about him and Jojen as well as his fall. As such he was mostly left alone again; but he was still fearful and for good reason. After all, only this morning he had seen Joffrey smirking in his direction and whispering to his friends, a sure-fire sign he had something planned for Bran, something unpleasant.

'_I still don't get it.'_ He thought sadly. _'Why, why does he always pick on me, I never did anything to him.'_

Bran couldn't comprehend it; it didn't make sense for him to be the victim of Joffrey's bullying, he wouldn't wish it on anyone to be honest; but he would've thought Joffrey would've gone after Sansa; she was the one who broke up with him after all.

It was then a new thought came to Bran's head. _'Wait, maybe that's it; Sansa's away to college so he can't get to he, he's taking it out on me, but still; why me?'_

It still saddened him to realize that he still couldn't work it out.

Arya smiled as sat in the cafeteria; it was finally lunch time and she had to admit she felt surprisingly happy. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact she had somehow managed to avoid trouble for the whole morning. While she didn't care much about good behaviour or doing what was expected of her; it got a little tiresome listening to the same lectures over and over again. From her seat she could see Myrcella, sitting on the other side of the cafeteria. She smirked; she knew Myrcella would be joined by her friends soon, but she still had time for a little fun. So she took out her phone and texted her girlfriend.

"_Hey Cella, what's up?"_

She saw Myrcella check her phone, smile and then replied, Arya continued to text back to her replies.

"_Hey Arry, nothing much, how are you?"_

"_Good; I've been thinking about you…especially at night."_

She hoped Myrcella would get the subtext of the statement; luckily she wasn't disappointed, as Myrcella's face went bright red as she read the text. She began a text, looked up and then texted the rest of the message quickly.

"_I think we should talk later; see you soon. Oh, keep an eye out would you; my brother's acting pretty strange, he might hurt Bran."_

Arya frowned at that and was suddenly alert; she was getting annoyed by this. She had to keep her eyes open, if Joffrey tried anything she'd have to hurry and intervene; she couldn't allow him to bully her brother. It wasn't going to be easy in this crowd however; she couldn't even see Joffrey.

Bran looked around cautiously, but nobody seemed to be approaching him. Relieved he began carrying his lunch tray towards his usual table. As he approached he saw Jojen was already at the table with his lunch. He hurried forwards, unfortunately letting his guard down. As such he didn't see Joffrey approaching, the crowd hid Joffrey's approach from Jojen's view and Arya's who was trying to keep an eye out. Bran went to sit on his chair when Joffrey emerged and yanked the chair out from under him. Not expecting it Bran overbalanced and fell hard to the floor. His tray up-ended, scattering his lunch, some of the food covering him, including the soup; tears sprung up in his eyes and he nearly yelled as the hot soup struck his left thigh and burned. Nobody seemed to notice that however as he heard the crowd laughing and the mocking call again.

"Baby Bran is on the floor. Oh, he's crying!"

It was true Bran realized; the tears had fallen in front of everyone. By now Jojen was out of his seat and had knelt down next to him. Bran grit his teeth as more tears fell; his leg hurt so much, he was almost afraid to check how badly burned his thigh was. Jojen then helped him to his feet and, hearing the chanting still going on behind him, Bran allowed Jojen to lead him out of the cafeteria and to the infirmary. As they left he could hear raised voices and realized Arya had just arrived and found out what happened. In a way he felt some vindication from that, he knew Arya would definitely not let Joffrey get away with what he had done.

Jojen was shocked at Joffrey's actions; he couldn't believe he would go that far. In fact, Jojen was certain that Joffrey knew Bran's tray had a bowl of hot soup on it.

'_He meant to hurt him, that look on his face. He didn't care how badly hurt Bran was, in fact, he enjoyed it.' _He thought angrily as they finally arrived at the infirmary.

Jojen helped Bran in; and helped him sit on the bed. The nurse was startled when they arrived, yet before Jojen could talk Bran spoke up immediately.

"It was an accident, I tripped; my leg, I spilled soup on it." He explained; blinked back more tears.

The nurse sighed and got to work; Jojen stood shocked by Bran's blatant lie, he couldn't understand it; why would Bran lie like that. Sometime later the nurse finished, Bran's leg wasn't too badly burned at least and was easily treated. His uniform was cleaned up as much as possible and he was permitted to leave.

As he left Jojen turned to him. "Bran, what is wrong with you, you should've told her the truth."

Bran glared at him. "What, and have Joffrey and his friends do something worse to me, no thanks."

"You can't just keep doing this, you need to tell someone; the principal, one of the teachers, anyone." Jojen replied sharply. "They'll help you stop it."

Bran shook his head sadly. "Forget it Jojen, it'll never stop, no matter what I do."

With that Bran walked on to his next class, leaving Jojen to watch him go sadly. He wasn't sure how long this could go on; if Bran didn't tell someone the truth soon it might get too much for him and Jojen feared what he might do then.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please.

Well; things are getting sadly worse for Bran; so much so that now his friend is afraid he'll do something rash if things get any worse; well, stay tuned to see what happens next.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 7 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, it is pretty sad for Bran, sadly that won't likely come for some time.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah; it's pretty sad for the poor guy; that's sweet :)  
LostCriesofTime: Yeah, it's pretty sick of him, poor Bran indeed, glad you liked Arya's thoughts; glad you liked my description of the incident.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Bran sighed as he left school with his siblings. After the incident at lunch those unaware how he had been burned began teasing him about his fall in the lunch hall. They seemed to pretend that Joffrey wasn't responsible. He became aware of Arya's gaze; he could guess what she was about to say, sure enough she reacted as he expected.

"Bran, I swear that creep can't get away with this."

He shook his head. "Forget it Arya; you know full well if I say anything Joffrey and his friends will just make things worse for me."

She growled and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't start Bran; that's bull and you know it. We…"

"Enough Arya; just leave it, just leave me alone, and don't say anything for God's sake; I swear, if you say anything I…"

Arya sighed and shook her head. "Alright, alright already, I get it."

Bran scowled and stalked away; Arya groaned. She knew she really should say something to their parents, but if she did Bran would never forgive her, besides, if he didn't say it himself, he'd never be able to move forwards; she wished it could be simpler, but she was afraid that wasn't the case. She was also afraid that things would get drastically out of hand before Bran realized the truth and stood up for himself.

Arya could feel Rickon's eyes on her and turned to him, shaking her head.

"Best not to ask, Rickon; I don't think we can do anything right now."

Rickon scowled. "But Bran is…"

She shook her head again. "Don't Rickon, our only hope until Bran stands up for himself we need to help him by protecting him from those punks. If we do anything else we'll only make Bran angry at us. He'd never forgive us for it, we need to try and help him see that he can stand up for himself, that he's not alone. But we can't do that while he's so wilfully blind to the truth."

Rickon bowed his head; Arya then noted their mother's car approaching.

"There's mom, go ahead, I'll see you guys at home. Don't worry, I'm going straight home today, no need for excuses."

Rickon nodded and headed towards the car. Arya got her motorbike and sighed as she thought forlornly about Bran's situation; at this rate, it would only get worse and, despite her best efforts and wishes, she knew she couldn't protect him forever. She put on her helmet, started up the bike and began driving home, wishing there was something she could do that wouldn't cause Bran to fall out with her.

When they got home Catelyn was worried, she was noticing her children were acting rather strange. Something was bothering them; that much she could tell. However all thoughts and worries were soon pushed out of not only hers but everyone's minds as Ned delivered interesting and joyous news.

"I've just heard, Robb and Sansa are coming home for a few days, they should be there this evening." He stated, smiling.

They all reacted happily to the news and soon they were hard at work; getting ready for their family members visit. So it was that evening that the Stark family all stood in the hallway, waiting for the arrival of Robb and Sansa. Before long they heard the two cars arrive and park and then the knock at the door. Ned answered the door and Robb and Sansa Stark entered. They all smiled and the younger kids greeted their older siblings.

"Hey, it's great to be home." Robb stated as he hugged his younger brothers and sister.

Sansa smiled and also hugged them. "Yeah, it's good to see you all too, we missed you guys."

The others all greeted them joyfully and soon they were all gathered at the dinner table, eating. As they ate however, Bran observed the way his family behaved and, once again, as had been happening recently, doubts had begun to creep into his mind. Specifically, doubts about how his family felt about him.

'_What am I to them anyway, look at them all; they're all good at something; except me. Mum and dad like them all better than me too.'_ He thought sadly. _'Robb's the eldest so he's automatically the family's pride. Sansa's the eldest girl so she's also a favourite. Rickon is a rapidly rising sports star and Arya's the youngest girl so she also gets preferential treatment. I'm the fourth child, nothing special about me.'_

He supressed a sigh, he felt this way for a while, ever since the bullying started. It was as if he was nothing more than a hindrance to his family, another mouth for the family to feed.

Throughout the dinner, Robb had noticed Bran's strange behaviour and was worried. He had never seen his younger brother this way before; he certainly hadn't behaved this way the last time he had visited. So, after dinner, with the family all scattered throughout the house, Robb decided to talk to Bran, in the hopes that Bran might reveal something to him. So he headed upstairs; Bran was in his room doing homework. He knocked on the door.

"Yeah, who is it?" Bran called out.

"It's me Bran." Robb remarked.

Bran invited him in and Robb entered the room. Bran sat at his desk; he was smiling but Robb could see the lingering sorrow in his eyes.

"So, what's up?" Bran asked casually. "I must say it's good to see you guys again, things haven't been the same since you and Sansa went to college."

Robb smiled gently and nodded. "Yeah, I guessed that. So, how have you been, anything happening?"

Robb saw it, the moment of doubt. Bran opened his mouth but then stopped, closed it and then started again. "No, nothing really. Just the usual, you know, school, homework, all that."

Robb pondered briefly. Bran had looked at his feet, a sure sign he was lying. But still, Robb was tentative, if he prodded too much, Bran might shut him out. He didn't want to aggravate his brother.

"Are you sure that's all?" He asked gently. "It's not my place to say it Bran but you're acting kind of…well, down."

Bran sighed. "I'm fine Robb, really, just having a tough time at the moment, but I'm okay really, it will pass soon."

Robb knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of Bran so he hesitantly left the room, wondering and worrying about his brother.

Robb wasn't the only one; Sansa had noticed something different too; in her case, she had noticed Arya's behaviour and was curious. It was strange seeing her sister behave this way. There was only one thing on her mind.

'_Arya's never been this secretive before; she's hiding something.'_

Sansa wondered if she should say something. Eventually she made up her mind and decided to talk to Arya and try and uncover what she could. She found Arya out in the garden and hurried over to her.

"Arya."

Arya turned to face her. "Oh, hey Sansa, what's up?"

Sansa decided to get directly to the point. "I'm just wondering if you're okay, you hiding something, I know it, I just want to know if everything's fine."

Arya tensed at first when Sansa spoke but then smiled and relaxed.

"Oh, it's that all." She said with a laugh. "It's okay Sansa, there's nothing to worry about. I…Look I can't tell you anything, it'll be fine though; it's nothing bad, I promise."

"But Arya…" Sansa began but Arya shook her head.

"But nothing; I promise, there's nothing to worry about, I'm just not…ready to say anything yet okay." She remarked.

Sansa sighed but nodded and agreed before leaving. She guessed all she could do was wait and hope Arya would tell the truth soon enough.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 8 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks; yeah, it's pretty sad :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, trouble is, he doesn't feel that way, his only defining quality being his intelligence, he feels like the rest of the family get more attention and love than he does; that will become more prevalent in a later chapter.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked them and you're right, it's good to have them home.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

It was another school day; the weather was beginning to change, it was beginning to get warmer, so now the school changed to their summer uniforms. For the boys this consisted of a black button-up short-sleeve shirt; a white vest or pullover; a pair of deep/dark green trousers; a snow white tie and simple black shoes. For the girls this was a black blouse; a dark green vest or pullover; a black short (just above the knees) skirt; socks, with length being a choice between two, or tights, style being a choice between two; black simple shoes and a white tie. For Arya she wore simple knee length socks, she could see Myrcella sitting nearby, she smirked as she noted Myrcella was wearing see-through tights, giving Arya a nice view she had to admit. Myrcella's cousin Shireen sat talking to her; her choice being skin coloured tights. She considered going over to talk to Myrcella quickly; but right now, she couldn't. She had something important to do. She heard the derisive laughter and turned immediately. As she had thought, it was Bran, a group of girls that usually hung around with Joffrey and his crew had cornered him. She stalked over, she wasn't going to stand for this if she could help it.

"Hey!" She cried out as she approached. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"

They spun around and saw her, one of them sneered at Bran before they all stalked off.

Bran straightened up from being pushed against the locker and brushed himself off. Arya approached him.

"Bran; are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine Arya, it's alright, that was, I don't know what they wanted, but it's fine." He sighed and added. "It's not them I'm worried about."

Arya sighed but nodded. Bran walked away sadly when suddenly, he stopped. He tried to look away, remember what happened the last time, but he couldn't help it. Gwen was walking past in her summer uniform, which meant she was wearing short socks which put her long slender legs on display. He felt his mouth go dry as he watched her walking past.

'_She's so beautiful; I don't understand; why has she changed so much?'_ He thought forlornly. _'We spent so much time together, did so much; didn't that mean anything to her.'_

He was pushed out of those thoughts however when he was shoved against the locker again. He flinched when he saw who it was.

Boros glared at Bran. "What the fuck do you think you're doing loser, you staring at my girl again, didn't you learn anything."

"I…I just, i…" Bran stammered desperately.

Boros shook his head.

"I'll see to it that Joffrey learns about this. I can't wait to see what he does to you."

With that he stalked off, leaving Bran fearing desperately. So he spent the rest of the day, enduring the normal name-calling and teasing until lunch time. After a tense lunch, during which he looked around, worriedly for Joffrey to show up, when he didn't show up, Bran decided he couldn't remain seated and so hurried off., making an excuse to Jojen, he didn't stop until he reached the bathroom.

He sighed and leaned against one of the sinks; trying not to look at himself in the mirror. His fears kept mounting; he wasn't sure just how much more he could take. He took a deep breath, trying hard not to think about doing something rash. Just then his worst fears were realized and the door burst open and Joffrey entered, accompanied by Boros, Meryn and Sandor. He spun around, desperation gripping him. Before he could react, Joffrey quickly closed the gap between them, smirking in that cruel way he had.

"Well, well, what are you doing in here loser." He taunted.

Bran tried desperately to keep calm, but his hands trembled, exposing his fear. "I, um, I'll just, I can, leave, I'll…"

He tried to leave but Joffrey pushed him back. "I don't think so; this is too good an opportunity to pass up; you're gonna pay for what you did to Gwen."

Before Bran could protest Joffrey suddenly plucked Bran's glasses off; Bran could just make out Joffrey throwing them somewhere, he heard them land but thankfully, not break. He was now helpless, at their mercy. Joffrey laughed.

"You know, when I was dating your slut sister, she told me something." He remarked savagely and Bran braced himself for the lie. "That nobody wants you, that you were a mistake. That people even like your bitch sister better."

Bran wanted to snap back, he was insulting not just him, but Arya too. But he couldn't find the courage to do so.

Joffrey laughed at Bran's silence and shoved him again.

"Hah, sounds like you agree, you can't even respond with a comeback. Pathetic; okay boys, time to teach a lesson. Bring him to the stall."

Bran heard that and panicked but Boros and Meryn were too quick, they grabbed him and, being much larger and stronger, had no trouble dragging him to the bathroom stall. Bran saw Joffrey standing there, smirking widely.

Bran tried desperately to plead with him. "Please, don't…"

Joffrey just laughed and then indicated to the others. Then Bran's head was pushed against the water, almost touching, he closes his mouth trying not to touch anything. Then finally he hears the muffled sounds and voices until Joffrey flushed, and they held his head down - he could barely hold his breath, but he managed to hold through 2 entire flushes, before they leave simply left, laughing. After they left Bran sank back onto his knees, fighting desperately to catch his breath. He heard the bell ring and knew it was hopeless; he'd be late for class now. He pushed himself to his feet and groped his way desperately to the sink where he washed and dried his face quickly. He then began groping his way along the floor until finally he found his glasses and put them back on. Then, slowly, fighting back tears, he headed for his next class.

It was after school, Jojen stood waiting for Bran; his friend had been given detention for being late to class after lunch. Jojen was more worried than ever now, Bran was never late for class, something had to have happened to him. Finally however Bran emerged from the school; Jojen walked towards him.

"Bran; are you okay, what happened?" He asked desperately.

Bran jumped bu then relaxed when he saw him. "Jojen, I…It's nothing."

Jojen glared. "Enough Bran; don't give me that, I know something happened, you shouldn't…"

Bran sighed. "Forget it; okay, I can't, I just can't…Can we go now."

Jojen remained quiet, he fought to keep himself under control, it was clear Bran had suffered again yet he still refused to say anything. Together they left school and began heading to the Reed's home. Jojen wondered fearfully how long this would last before it was too late.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 9 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Marina Ka-Fai: Too true, he certainly does.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapter; yeah, he certainly is, poor Bran indeed :)  
LostCriesofTime: Glad you like the reunion, yeah, it's sad for Bran, glad you liked the chapter though.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Bran sighed sadly as he approached the Reed's house. His mind was still reeling from the incident in the bathroom earlier today. He couldn't understand it; why were they so harsh to him. It wasn't just him after all who had stared at Gwen, due to the way she showed off her legs. There had been several guys who had stared at her; but it had been him that Joffrey and the others had attacked. However he forced those thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on them, and smiled as he entered the Reed's house. Almost as soon as he entered he spotted Howland and Jyana Reed sitting in the living room, watching an old movie on the TV. They looked up and smiled as their son and his friend entered.

"Hello you two; how are you doing?" Jyana greeted the boys.

Bran managed to smile back. "We're good, nice to see you again Mrs. Reed."

Once the greetings were finished the boys heading through to the kitchen. As they watched them go Jyana turned to her husband.

"Howland, is it just me or, did something seem different about Brandon?" She asked worried. "There seemed to be something about his eyes, as if he's worried about something."

Howland nodded. "I understand what you mean; I saw it too. I hope it's nothing too serious. I fear something is seriously wrong."

They both sat back down, worried about their son's friend.

When the boys entered the kitchen they found Meera sitting there. She smiled to them as they entered.

"Hey guys." She greeted them warmly.

Her gaze softened further when she saw Bran and noted the look in his eyes.

'_Something happened.'_ She realized. _'It's getting worse for him.'_

The boys sat down and, while making small talk, Bran glanced at Meera. While different from Gwen he couldn't deny that Meera was also beautiful in her own way. She had rather wild mahogany brown hair and light green eyes; she was short, not much taller than he was and rather slender, just like all those from the area she lived. Bran had to admit, for a short time at least, he once harboured a crush on Meera; he could remember that time, but he quickly pushed those memories away. It wouldn't do him any good, Meera was older than him by five years, people would frown on their relationship, especially since he was still currently underage. In addition to all that, he had to remember his feelings for Gwen; he had known her longer, cared about her for longer. He just couldn't understand why she had changed, why she no longer appreciated even his friendship. He would do anything to be with her again. He just couldn't comprehend her change, he would've thought she'd been led astray by Joffrey and his crew, but that wasn't the case. Gwen had changed first, then joined the group. Still lost in this thought he almost missed the question being directed at him.

"So Bran, how was school today?" Meera was asking.

Bran faltered for a moment, caught off guard, before replying. "I…It's was fine, you know. Same old, nothing special"

Meera nodded; a dubious look on her face.

Meera had asked Bran directly and noticed how he had lied to her. He had looked down at his feet before replying and saying nothing was happening. It was just as Jojen had said to her when they noticed Bran was lost in thought. She looked over at Jojen and saw he shared her concern. She turned back and tried to speak, but found it difficult. She always struggled to talk to Bran, if for no other reason than the fact her harboured feelings for him made her feel slightly embarrassed. She did care for him deeply, for a long time she had convinced herself her feelings were entirely like those of an older sibling. But now she knew better. She now knew that she had feelings for Bran, she loved him. She knew people would look down on them due to the age gap, but in truth, she didn't care about that. She just wished she could help Bran, he was clearly troubled, whatever was going on at school was affecting him deeply but at the same time, he was trying to cope with it alone and didn't think anything could be done. Jojen left the kitchen and Meera pondered for a moment.

"Are you sure everything's okay Bran?" She asked cautiously. "It's just, I've heard that you were having some…trouble in school."

There was no doubt about it, Bran flinched at that, but then he composed himself.

"It's nothing to worry about Meera." He said quickly. "Just, a few problems, it'll be fine though, I'll manage to sort things out."

He was avoiding the issue she could see, but at this stage she couldn't work out what to do about it, whenever she thought of her feelings she faltered.

Later in the day, Bran left for home, the siblings watched him go. Then finally Jojen turned to Meera.

"This is getting out of hand Meera." He said to her softly. "I swear things are getting worse every day; I'm afraid he'll…"

Meera nodded. "I know Jojen, I know. I just wish Bran would be more open with us."

Jojen sighed and they headed upstairs. Once upstairs Jojen suddenly exclaimed.

"This can't go on Meera. Open with us or not, Bran's suffering and we know it. We can't just leave him alone like this."

Meera nodded. "I do agree with you, it's just, if we do say something, he's likely to see it as us interfering and cut himself of from us, that's the last thing we want."

Jojen sighed, Meera was right; the last thing he wanted was for Bran to end up all alone.

"So, what do we do?" He asked his sister, concerned.

Meera sighed and shook his head. "I don't know; we have to help him in any way we can. But until he realizes he can tell someone and it gets better…our options are limited without interfering."

There was a pause and then, with a sigh, Jojen began to leave the room. Before he did however he turned back to Meera.

"You really like Bran, don't you?" He said softly.

Meera looked up sharply, blushing; she thought she had managed to hide it.

Jojen smiled at her. "It's alright, I won't tell him, but it might help if you told him."

"I don't know." She replied sadly.

Jojen nodded slowly and left, Meera meanwhile pondered her brother's words.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 10 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, well, he just wants to help his friend.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you like the little talk between the siblings. Yeah problem is, Bran is too closed off and refuses to ask for it.  
LostCriesofTime: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, thought it'd be good, sadly, Bran is still deluded with his obsession for Gwen.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Arya smiled; it was Saturday, a day without any school, one of her favourite days. She was spending the day hanging out with Gendry, Lommy and Hot Pie. The four of them had spent the day at the video arcade and continued to enjoy themselves. However there was something bothering the boys. Arya was acting strangely; while she enjoyed herself and laughed along with them, even celebrated when she beat them and their high scores at the games, which was often, she wasn't quite herself. She was acting quite furtive, checking her phone every now and again, whenever she received a message she would read it with a small smile on her face, but would prevent them from even catching a glimpse of the message and who it was from. In all the boys were suspicious of this; yet Arya continued as if there was nothing strange about it. No matter how they positioned themselves around her and what they tried to do, she always kept her phone hidden. Even when they stopped to take a break, when she left for the bathroom and such, she kept her phone with her preventing them from sneaking a look. Not for any ulterior motive, they were just curious as to what was going on.

Finally, instead of indicating she had a text; Arya's phone rang, indicating a call. Instead of simply answering it like she always did, she actually left them to make the call. The boys all looked at each other, even more surprised by this action.

"Okay, that was weird, since when has Arya ever acted like that?" Lommy asked in an incredulous tone.

Hot Pie nodded. "Yeah, I mean, seriously, she's never walked off to answer her phone before. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's got a secret admirer."

Gendry shook his head. "C'mon guys, don't gossip like that; it's not polite."

"What, oh come on Gendry, surely you're curious about this too?" Lommy shot back.

Gendry sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay, I am, but still, if Arya wants to tell us, she'll tell us, we really shouldn't pry." He paused and then added. "Don't think I haven't seen you guys trying to check her phone."

They both looked away sheepishly. However they couldn't talk on the matter any further since at that moment Arya returned, smiling widely. Yet she offered no explanation for what she had done, as such they were left wondering who had called her. The mystery remained as they finally left the arcade and returned to Gendry's house. They spent more time together, playing video games at Gendry's house. Later in the afternoon however, Lommy and Hot Pie left and headed home, Arya stayed at Gendry's, continuing to playing video games, yet Arya was having difficulty focusing as her mind was on Myrcella.

They both sat on Gendry's bed, munching chips and continued to play the video games. When Arya found herself losing for the fifth time she growled and threw the remote on the bed. Gendry paused the game and sighed.

"Arry, are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes." She growled shortly.

Gendry raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure? You usually don't lose this much."

"Shut up, stupid." She snapped; punching him.

He just laughed and then reassured her. "Come on you can tell me. Besides I have something to tell you too."

Arya hesitated briefly before asking. "Do you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Hey I kept a secret that you're the one who punctured the tires of Mr. Baelish's car." He reminded her. "Or when you started the rumours about Joffrey. Or when..."

"Yeah I get the point. But you go first."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

She replied instantly. "Because I need time, time to figure out how I'm gonna say this."

"Why, I've never known you to think before you speak?"

"Stupid." she said punching him again "just start."

"Okay. So Jeyne and I, we, well, last night we took our relationship to the next level - it was awesome." Gendry said with a goofy smile.

Arya smiled, she knew that it wasn't Gendry's first time, after all he was 20 (even if he was still in high school), but she knew it had been her first time.

Arya liked Jeyne Heddle - of course, so did gendry - She had been in the same year as Sansa, and she and Gendry had been dating for four months now having re-met in Gendry's part time job at the inn she worked at. Jeyne, unlike Gendry's ex-girlfriends, didn't mind Gendry's friendship with Arya, didn't mind that she sometimes crashed on his couch, that they were sometimes alone in his room like now, that sometimes Arya would needed someone to open up to, who understood her. His ex-girlfriends did, the first one Bella had tried to get him to stop spending time with her, even, foolishly tried threatening Arya to her face, and Mel, a college student, was even worst she was so jealous of gendry and arya that she tried to set Arya's motorbike on fire. Jeyne however didn't seem to mind, in fact, going by the looks she gave Arya sometimes, she wondered if Jeyne knew about Arya's sexual orientation.

"I'm so happy for you, gendry." She replied truthfully, smiling. "I hope you treated her right, you said she was virgin after all."

"Yeah... she was really nervous, but I think I managed to help her relax and stuff" He said with a smirk and Arya kicked him on the leg.

"Don't get cocky, asshole."

Gendry laughed again before suddenly turning serious. Arya braced herself, she knew it was now her turn.

Sure enough Gendry then spoke to her seriously.

"So now it's your turn."

Arya was trying to think of the best way to tell him this - she finally decided to tell him in the crudest way possible; it was the only way she could think of.

"Well, this is the only way I can put." She said sadly. "It's just; well, I like girls, Gendry... like you like girls."

Gendry froze and stared at her unable to speak; he was just looking at her, like she had grown two heads.

"Gendry, please say something." She called out worriedly.

Still no answer. "GENDRY!" She yells punching him.

Finally he recovered and cleared his throat.

"So, you like girls?" She nods and he continued. "Well, I guess now it makes sense. I wondered why, unlike the other girls I knew, you never stared at me when I worked out at the gym."

Arya laughed at that.

"You're so stupid. that's all you have to say?!"

Gendry shook his head. "Nope, I do have a question. Are you dating anyone?"

Arya bit her lip and looked at him seriously.

"If i tell you; you have to promise not to tell, anyone?"

"Cross my heart." He told her solemnly.

So Arya took a deep breath and told him. "Myrcella."

"Wait, as in Myrcella Lannister Baratheon?!" He asked surprised; she nods again. "Seriously, the popular girly girl?"

"Yes and don't mock her!" She warned him.

Gendry nodded and they both remained quiet for a moment.

Finally Gendry broke the silence.

"How did…I mean, how did you find out; how did the two of you…?" He asked, hesitantly.

She shrugged and started telling him.

"Okay, so Sansa threw a sleepover last summer and I got sucked in - you're out of town and I didn't have anywhere else to hide. So we were playing truth or dare, and I got dared to kiss someone."

"Knowing you, you wouldn't back out, right."

She nodded. "Of course not. So I had a limited choice."

"And you end up kissing her." He finished.

"Yes. One of the other girls suggested it, since Myrcella was getting over her break-up with Trystane."

Gendry nodded, listening carefully before querying. "So you kissed and then…?"

Arya nodded and explained. "Then we forgot it. Until another sleepover and in that one I was able to escape - I think you, Hot Pie and I went out to the Brotherhood Inn. But when I got back, they were all upstairs sleeping, besides Myrcella who had come down to the kitchen and we got to talking... we became friends and it grew from there."

Gendry then asked. "Did you know you were gay before Myrcella?"

Arya pondered deeply and then nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Gendry asked, a bit sad she hadn't trusted him before "Didn't you trust me?"

"I wasn't sure, Gendry. I wanted to sure about everything." She told him before looking at him pleadingly. "Don't be mad."

"I'm not. I'm your friend, now and always, Arry." He told her sincerely.

"Thank you Gendry." She said, with a soft smile.

Feeling better now she picked up her controller and they got back to the game. Gendry however couldn't help himself with one last joke.

"We should double date sometime." He said prompting arya to punch him again.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Well, Arya's beginning to open up now, stay tuned for the next chapter where she begins to come out to her family.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 11 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, when my beta reader is finished with the next chapter.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, he is, glad you liked it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

It was early evening when Arya finally left Gendry's and headed home. She smiled, it had felt good to finally open up and tell the truth to Gendry. She no longer felt so tense from keeping her and Myrcella's secret. She knew Gendry could be trusted and wouldn't breathe a word to anyone. She would have to tell Myrcella about it, so she would know everything would be okay between them when they were together, if Gendry happened to be there, they wouldn't have to hide. As she entered the house she nearly ran straight into her mother who was carrying the washing basket towards the kitchen. Catelyn stopped just in time however.

"Oh, sorry, hey mum." Arya greeted with a smile.

Catelyn looked at her daughter strangely. "Arya; there you are; where were you?"

She smiled. "I was just out with Gendry, Hot Pie and Lommy and we went to Gendry's later."

"You spend an awful lot of time with those boys." Catelyn remarked worriedly.

"Of course, they're my friends." Arya replied firmly; she knew what her mother was getting at.

Catelyn just shook her head and walked off to the kitchen, Arya headed upstairs. When Catelyn entered the kitchen she saw Ned, home early from work, and hurried over to him, she was growing worried and felt that now was the time, she'd need to talk to Ned about it.

Meanwhile Arya was working on her homework, while she listened to her favourite album, when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Go away, Sansa" she sighed, her sister had come home for the weekend and she was being impossible; constantly on Arya's case for not having a boyfriend yet, Arya couldn't bring herself to tell Sansa the truth.

"It's not Sansa. She and your mother just left for a shopping trip." Her father said through the door.

"Dad!" She cried in surprise.

It seemed he had come home earlier from work.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." Arya said, turning off the music putting aside the books and turning to dad.

"Come in." She said softly.

Ned entered and took a place; sitting on the bed. "So... so... I wanted to talk to you about something."

Arya was surprised by this, her father looked uncertain, that was unusual.

"I…your mother and I think, we think it's time I gave you the talk." He explained.

Arya froze; her eyes wide. _'No... Dad doesn't mean that talk, right?! He can't...'_

"Dad..."

"Listen, I've been a teenage boy and I know how they think..." He began explaining.

"Dad..."

He still continued. "And you know I always liked gendry, but he's older than you and…"

'_Oh…No...This can't be.'_ She thought desperately as she tried once more.

"Dad..."

"And you should also know that guys are always lying when they are too big for condoms. One time I..."

"Dad!" She screamed, mortified.

He stood up, holding out his hands. "Please it wasn't anything like that, it's just..."

She shook her head; she couldn't take this much longer.

In the end she simply acted without thinking.

"Dad! I'm gay, please stop talking." Arya blurted out quickly before realizing what she just said. _'Oh shit.'_

Ned blinked, curious as to what he could've sworn his daughter had just said. "What?!"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Arya..." Ned began, seriously.

Arya shook her head more vehemently. "It was nothing, dad."

"Arya..." Her father said again, she closed her eyes and trusted him.

"Dad, please don't hate me." She whispered.

He stared at her in shock; he couldn't comprehend how she could ever say that. "I could never, Arya."

"I'm gay, dad." She finally admitted; looking him in the eye, so scared what he was going to say.

They were both standing by now, but then Ned sat down on the bed again and then, finally, smiled.

"Come here." He said gently and arya climbed onto the bed.

He then hugged her and Arya felt some of the tension leave her and so she rested her head on his shoulder.

Finally, after a long silence she asked. "Dad, are you going to say anything?"

"Why were you so scared of telling me, Arya?" He asked. "After all, you should know, I'll support you, whatever your choice may be."

"It's not a choice, dad." She pointed out gently.

"Right... sorry." he replied kissing the top of her head.

So, smiling, Ned left and Arya at once, felt relieved.

It was now after dinner, Sansa and Catelyn had returned from their shopping trip in good spirits and now Arya made up her mind. She had decided that Sansa should be the second person in their family to tell, so she knocked on her sisters door, finding her inside, she walked over until she was standing next to the bed

"I have something important to tell you, Sansa." She said carefully.

Sansa looked up, she was busy at the moment, but she listened anyway. "Okay, sure."

Arya wasn't certain how to do it, so she decided just to go for the shock.

"Myrcella and I are a dating."

"What Myrcella is gay?!" Sansa asked shocked, the jolt of hearing it all at once made her leap to her feet.

Arya glared and left the room; pissed that her Sansa seemed to care more about Myrcella than her own sister. She returned to her own room and closed the door, throwing herself onto the bed. Still fuming she wondered if telling Sansa had in fact been a mistake. A short while later there was a knock at the door. Arya knew that this time, it was Sansa.

"What do you want?!" She snapped.

Sansa voice was gentle as she spoke. "Arya, please don't be mad. I'm coming in."

With that she stepped inside.

Arya glared. "How could think I would not be mad?! I tell you I'm gay and you're more worried about Myrcella than me."

Sansa sighed sadly, as she had thought; Arya had taken her reaction the wrong way.

Sansa cleared her throat and tried to explain.

"Arya, I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised."

Arya scowled and pointed out. "More about her than me."

"Of course." Sansa replied, revealing. "I can't say I hadn't suspected about you before."

"What?!"

Sansa smirked and then explained. "Let's see; Gendry walks around half naked most times; yet in all that time I've never seen you so much as stare; let alone drool. I think that was a dead give-away."

Sansa said it, with such a serious face that it reminds her of their father, and arya couldn't help herself, so she laughed.

"He does walk around half naked a lot." She admitted.

Sansa then asked curiously. "Who else have you told?"

Arya replied instantly. "Just Gendry and Dad, now you. I…I'm still working out how to tell everybody else, so please, don't say anything."

Sansa nodded before asking.

"They took it well?" Arya nodded in confirmation and Sansa smiled. "So how did you and Cella end up together?"

Arya sighed. "You girls dared us to kiss, don't you remember?"

"Since then?!" Sansa gasped but Arya shook her head.

"No. but just a bit after it, the sleepover after that one, that's when we started."

"And everything is going well?" Sansa asked, worried.

"Yes." arya said.

Sansa let out a relieved sigh, smiled and sat on the bed next to arya and then spoke again.

"Tell me more."

Arya bit her lip, she should've guessed this would happen, so she prepared herself and began to reveal the truth to Sansa.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please :)

Well, Arya's beginning to come out to her family now, next chapter will see that continue, after all Catelyn and the boys don't yet know.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 12 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, he is :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks; glad you enjoyed it :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed both chapters, yeah, really enjoying typing that part; hmmm, yeah, I can see that too in fact :) Glad you liked Ned, yeah, I suppose it would, glad you liked Sansa too :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Arya sighed as she sat up in her room. A week had passed since she came out to her dad and sister, as well as her best friend. Throughout that week, despite Arya promising to stick by her, no matter what happened, Myrcella hadn't found the courage to admit the truth to her own family yet. Besides, Arya knew there were still members of her family who didn't know too, her brothers for example and her mother. Thinking of her brothers made her sigh again, she thought about Bran, sadly things hadn't got any better for him, he still endured the name-calling, teasing and shoving, in silence as usual. The only consolation Arya felt was that things hadn't got any worse at least, the worst incident so far being the one Arya had found out about where Joffrey had his friends stick her poor brother's head down a toilet while he flushed. She had sworn she would get revenge, but she was still plotting how best to accomplish that. However right now she was facing something that required her full attention. She couldn't stop thinking about her father's words - "please tell your mother, she knows I'm hiding something" – this worried Arya considerably. Unlike the rest of the family who followed the Old Gods, as the Stark family had since medieval times, her mother and Sansa followed the Faith of the Seven, her mother was more devout about it than Sansa however. That was what worried her.

While the Faith of the Seven didn't condemn homosexuality, it didn't condone it either and some of the Septons and Septas had twisted that vagueness to suit their own narrow minded views and attempted to preach these ideals to those who would listen. While she knew her mother would never see homosexuality as a problem or something evil, it felt likely to Arya she'd have a hard time accepting it if it affected her personally like this. Still, she couldn't hold off forever, so she had decided, whatever her mother's mood was, she would tell her tonight. She had already warned Gendry if she needed to take refuge in his apartment. So that evening, after dinner, she found her mother cleaning the kitchen, and decided she would have a better chance if she was being helpful.

"Hey mum." She greeted as cheerfully as she could. "Want any help?"

Catelyn turned, surprised at her daughter's sudden offer but then smiled. "Why, yes, thank you Arya."

So they got to work. They had almost finished when Catelyn then asked.

"So... Arya, why are you helping me?"

Arya stiffened. "Mum..."

Catelyn shook her head. "I know you well enough Arya; I know you try everything to get out of doing housework. I know you wouldn't help me like this, if you didn't need anything."

"I'm not here to ask you for anything." Arya replied quickly.

"Arya..." Catelyn began.

Arya took a deep breath. "I wanna tell you something, something important."

Catelyn looks surprised at her daughter's sudden exclamation.

Catelyn pondered for a moment as they finished the cleaning and then spoke up.

"Okay... do you want to sit?"

"Yes, please." Arya replied at once.

They sat down at the kitchen table; Catelyn reached over and took Arya's hand.

"You can tell me anything, sweetie." She said reassuringly, although she was worried, knowing how wild her daughter was, as well as those boys she spent so much time with.

"Did you break any law? Or are you pregnant or something?" She asked worriedly.

"No, mum. By the Gods, it's nothing like that." Arya gasped, in perspective what she had to say didn't sound that bad

Catelyn shook her head. "Arya, you shouldn't speak of the Gods so dismissively like that, Old or New."

Arya bit her lip, things were getting off topic. "Sorry, mum."

"Now, tell me what's wrong. I can't see what it could be, if it isn't anything like that." Catelyn said softly.

Arya was fighting hard to control herself but realized she was trembling, taking a shaky breath she finally admitted. "I'm gay, mum."

Catelyn's stared wide eyed and gasped. "Really?!"

Arya nods; waiting fearfully. Catelyn saw the fear in her daughter's eyes and was shocked by it; wondering how her daughter could be so afraid of telling her something like that.

Catelyn reached out and took Arya's nearest hand with both her own. Arya looked up at her mother, eyes wide hope and fear showing in her eyes.

"Okay Arya, why did you feel so scared of telling me?" She asked, worriedly.

Arya took another shaky breath and explained. "Mum, you're so religious, and I know what..."

"Oh sweetie..." Catelyn cried, immediately standing up and hugging her youngest daughter "Arya, I'm may be strong in my faith, but for me, family always comes first, it always has for my family. I'll love you no matter what, I hope you know that."

Arya could feel the tears stinging her eyes as relief flooded through her. She returned the hug and choked out. "I love you too, mum."

Arya couldn't believe it; it was as if all her fears just melted away, in fact, she felt silly having them in the first place.

What neither of them knew however; was that both her oldest and youngest brother were outside the kitchen listening to the conversation; they had heard every word. Rickon turned to Robb, eye's wide.

"Arya is a lesbian?" Rickon asked Robb, surprised.

"I suppose so, that's what she just said..." Robb replied, just as surprised.

Rickon frowned. "I don't get it, she didn't say anything, did you ever suspect…?"

Robb shook his head and explained. "No. I always thought she liked that boy – Gendry."

"Hmmm, me too." Rickon admitted before asking. "Do you think she is dating anyone?"

Robb shrugged. "I don't know. Let's listen and see."

So they both stayed listening until their father showed up.

"Boys?" Ned wondered what they were up too.

They both turned and stammered; Ned shook his head, realizing what they were up to.

He warned them. "It's not polite to eavesdrop you know; now, if you'd like to give your mother and sister some privacy please."

They both nodded and quickly left, heading to their rooms. Ned waited a bit before knocking on the kitchen door and entering.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

They both nodded and Catelyn explained. "Yes, everything's fine Ned, this is what you were hiding right?"

He nodded. "Yes; I…It wasn't my place to say after all."

She nodded and Arya excused herself; heading upstairs, happy that her mother had accepted her.

She had barely shut the door and sat by her desk when there was a knock at her door.

"Yeah, come in." She called out.

Robb and Rickon entered her room; Arya was confused by their expressions, however it soon became clear when Robb spoke.

"Arya, we, Rickon and I…We heard what you were saying to mum." He explained.

Arya bit her lip and blushed. "Then you know I'm, um…attracted to girls then?"

Rickon nodded. "Yeah; we just wanted to tell you, we don't think any differently of you, you're still our sister and we still love you."

Robb smiled and agreed. "Yeah; if you ever need any help or anything, you can always ask any of us, I'm sure."

"I, you guys, thanks." She said breathlessly before hugging her brothers.

After they left Arya pondered to herself.

'_Bran's the only one who doesn't know…I, I should tell him.'_ She thought to herself but then dismissed the idea. _'No, he's got his own problems to deal with, the bullying and all that; I should focus on trying to help him get free of that. Telling him about my sexuality can wait until that's done.'_

With that decision she decided to relax, she hadn't told anyone other than Sansa and Gendry about Myrcella yet, in truth she wasn't ready for that yet, but hopefully one day. Needing to occupy her mind she began texting Myrcella, letting her know about what had just happened.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 13 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you liked it, yeah, they're a real close family :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Myrcella sighed as she stood in front of her bedroom mirror; she was clad in a simple black thin-strapped dress that reached mid-thigh; with it she wore black tights and sandal heels. All the Baratheon family would be around for dinner and like always it was a formal event. Yet her mind wasn't on the dinner. She was thinking about what had occurred yesterday; when Arya had texted her. She smiled as she thought of her girlfriend, blushing slightly as she did so; Arya had come out to her family and they had all accepted it. She wished she could be so certain about her family. She feared the thought of telling them, especially her brother Joffrey and her aunt Selyse. Thinking of Joffrey reminded her of how Arya had told her that Bran hadn't been told the truth yet. But she didn't intend on telling him. Myrcella could understand that, Bran was having problems with the bullying and such, Arya clearly felt that dealing with that was more important than telling her brother about her sexuality. Myrcella sighed sadly as she knew all too well that it was her own brother who was tormenting poor Bran. Shaking her head she heard the front doorbell and knew it was time. She headed downstairs to join her family for dinner.

The dinner had been quiet; nobody had much to say. In fact, her father did most of the talking, in his usual boisterous fashion. Renly also spoke, but not as much as her father; Selyse looked outraged, not surprising, since Renly had brought his boyfriend Loras Tyrell with him. That was one of the things Myrcella feared, Selyse reaction; her religion of R'hllor prohibited homosexuality and Selyse was a very fervent supporter of it. Still, this was her best chance, just after dinner. She cleared her throat and spoke up.

"I have something to tell you all." She said; but her voice was too soft, nobody heard her.

She tried again, this time with a stronger voice and all eyes turned to her. She subconsciously held her breath. Now everyone was looking at her waiting for her to speak, to stay something, and Myrcella second guessed her decision but looking at Renly and Loras, hands locked together – it gave her hope. So she cleared her throat, and spoke.

"I'm…dating a girl." She announced.

Those next few seconds seemed like the longest of her life, waiting for someone to react. She looked around afraid, trying to read their expressions. Yet they all simply started at her, as if processing what they had just heard.

Finally it seemed to sink in and unluckily Joffrey was the first to react, supported by their aunt – Selyse.

"By the Gods... Another one if the family!" Joffrey yelled, glaring, his face turning red as it did when he was angry. "This is contagious. I can't believe my sister is a dyke! Mum, please you have to send her to correction camp, get this sorted out!"

Selyse nodded and spoke, glaring at Myrcella as she did so. "I agree with Joffrey. Renly's soul can't be saved anymore, maybe Myrcella's can." She paused and then demanded. "How far are you into this mistake!?"

"Who cares about her soul?!" Joff exclaimed "It's fucking disgusting!"

It was turning out just as Myrcella feared; she bowed her head and was trying not to cry or react, she looked up and around desperately, trying to get support from someone else.

"Are you happy with this girl?" Renly suddenly asked, and Myrcella smiled, allowing a small light of hope to spring up in her.

"Very."

"Well then congratulations. I hope she treats you right if not we'll have to talk her" Renly said normally as ever, even smiling as he indicated Loras in reference to his statement.

Myrcella smiled in relief, she was glad that he accepted her sexuality like something normal, as normal as her dating a guy for instance.

Selyse sadly did not share his view at all.

She glared at Renly and the words were spat out angrily. "Just because you're that way, doesn't mean you should congratulate her for something so unnatural. She could still be normal after all, she can still be saved.

Stannis then stood up, shaking his head as he began to firmly, but not aggressively, guide Selyse out of the room. As he did so he looked back.

"You come too Joffrey." He said firmly.

Joffrey tried to protest but it was useless to argue with Stannis and so he left, glaring at Myrcella with contempt and she knew he wasn't done tormenting her. The room was quiet again, until finally Shireen stood up and hugged her.

"Congratulations Cella." She said softly, pressed her greyscale scarred cheek against Myrcella's. Myrcella knew sadly that she was one of the few people who didn't pull away from Shireen because of that.

Shireen then lowered her voice and asked. "It's Arya, right?"

Myrcella blushed furiously but she nodded, wondering how had she guessed?

Shireen smiled and queried. "You promise to tell me everything later?"

But before she could say yes, Tommen was hugging her.

"I'm so happy for you, sis." He said cheerfully; however he then looked serious. "But I'm can't believe you didn't tell me earlier."

"Sorry, kiddo." She said softly, smiling and ruffling his hair like she did when they were younger.

Shireen smiled and whispered to Tommen; he nodded and, giving Myrcella a reassuring smile, they left the room, leaving Myrcella alone with her parents.

Cersei was still silent, staring at her, saying nothing. Robert stood up, and ruffled her hair said

"Good for you kiddo; things are always better once you know things like that." He then sighed and began to walk off towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna go get a beer."

He muttered leaving the room. Myrcella had to admit she was surprised, that would be her father's first beer of the evening.

However now she was alone with her mother, Myrcella felt her heart pounding, since the start she had been waiting for her mother to speak - Myrcella had always admired her, and had always wanted her approval – and was now looking at her face expectantly.

The silence was too much for Myrcella. She cleared her throat but she could only whisper.

"Mum."  
Cersei seemed to recover and then, after a moments pondering asked. "Are you absolutely sure, sweetie? Are you sure you're not just experimenting?"

She shifted uncomfortably before admitting. "Most people do it at college, i did; maybe you've just started earlier?"

"I don't think so, mum." Myrcella replied truthfully; she felt slightly relieved, what her mother asked was reasonable after all.

"Okay." Cersei sighed softly. "So we have to deal with this..."

Myrcella froze, her fear returning. '_No... Not mum... she can't.'_

"Mum... please... not..." She pleaded but saw her mother's expression and stopped.

Cersei shook her head. "Not that, sweetie. I love your brother, but his notions can be a bit wrong especially about you and we all know your aunt is crazy."  
Myrcella laughed at that but then felt fearful again.

"So what do you mean?" she asked coming closer.

Cersei sighed and shook her head.

"The press, your father and your grandfather are always at the centre of their attention – if this got out they won't ever leave you alone. Can you tell me who it is?"  
Cersei stated.

Myrcella bowed her head. "I don't think i'm ready to tell you her name."

Cersei nodded. "Okay. But will she be a problem with the press?"

Myrcella shook her head; Arya loathed the press and went out of her way to avoid reporters at all costs.

"Mum, are you really okay with me being a lesbian?" She asked; worried.

Cersei smiled. "Of course. It's okay, I know it'll be hard, and I wished for simplicity's sake that you weren't and everything, but i'm not gonna ask you to lie and be unhappy. You're my girl."

She smiled and pulled her daughter into a hug and kissed the top of her curls "I love you, baby girl."

Myrcella smiled "I love you too, mum."

Finally, Myrcella returned to her room, relieved that it hadn't been as bad as she feared. True her aunt and older brother had reacted badly, but nobody else seemed to be against her, much to her relief. She decided to call Arya, hoping that the worry she still felt would be eased by talking to her girlfriend.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Brace yourselves for the next chapter BTW, because we're back to Bran and his problems.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 14 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :) Glad you liked those scenes with Ned and Cat and the boys. Glad you also liked Myrcella and Cersei, yeah, they certainly were, glad you liked Shireen's reaction too.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked the reactions of Renly, Robert and Cersei.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Bran was relieved that he seemed to be being left alone for the moment. It was Friday, he had endured another week of teasing and shoving and snide comments. It had occurred during the day again, but for now he was being left alone. In truth it was growing tiresome and he wished there was something he could do to stop it; he couldn't take much more.

'_I just hope nothing else happens. It's not fair, maybe I could, if I just spoke to them and tried to…No, that won't work, then again, maybe. I'll leave it for now.' _He thought quietly to himself; but he didn't want to seem rude so he began paying attention carefully again.

He was currently talking with Myrcella, she had been looking for Arya but neither of them could find her anywhere. He had noticed and was surprised at how they had become much closer and better friends than recently - it was weird for Arya to be friends with girls, he knew she always felt like an outsider in a girl's world.

'_In a way she still is.'_ Bran thought to himself. _'But with Myrcella, she seems to make an exception. I've heard them talking on the phone too, but they're always very quiet for some reason.'  
_  
He continued to listen as Myrcella spoke; both of them wondering where Arya had got to.

He had been distracted by his thoughts and Myrcella's rambling, that he didn't notice the other boys approaching him, until the laugher started again, they were laughing at him again.

Bran looked around frantic, wondering what had happened, and finally heard Myrcella whispering.

"Bran, your trousers."

He looked down and let out a dismayed cry. One of the boys had come up and pulled his trousers down, exposing his briefs. He quickly pulled his trousers back up and ran out of the cafeteria, desperately holding back tears. He could hear the taunts.

"Hah, nice undies baby Bran." Someone called after him.

Another cried out. "Guess your really are such a little boy, wearing little boy undies, what next, teddy bears?"

The tears stung his eyes as he finally escaped the cafeteria and the taunts. He finally found refuge in an empty classroom and sat at one of the desks. He buried his face in his hands and cried.

'_Why, dammit, why, just why do they keep doing this? Why can't they just leave me alone, I've never done anything to any of them?' _His thoughts raced as he began thinking of the plan he had been forming. _'Maybe I really should try it; if I do maybe, maybe then they'll stop; I mean, what reason would they have to continue tormenting me if I did that.'_

He shook his head and wiped his eyes. He didn't want to give his siblings or Jojen any reason for concern. He had to appear composed when he arrived at his next class.

Myrcella glared at Joffrey as he and his friends laughed, she could hear the crowd laughing too. She was sickened by them; she couldn't believe they were so cruel, especially to someone as harmless and friendly as Bran.

"Joffrey." She snapped; catching his attention. "I can't believe you, what is wrong with you?"

He glared at her. "What's your problem?"

She shook her head. "Why did you do that to Bran, he's done nothing to you; honestly, you're a dick, I swear, you do that again I'll…"

Before she could say anything else Joffrey suddenly closed the gap between them and leaned in close, face to face, glaring at her.

"You won't say a fucking word Dyke, unless you want me to out you to whole school." He snarled so only she could hear him. "You wouldn't want that huh, everybody knowing you like fucking other girls, imagine being an outcast, the one who ruined the family."

Myrcella froze, she knew Joffrey meant it and soon everyone in school would know. She had no idea which of her friends would support her and which would scorn her. She faltered, her indignation at their treatment of Bran was still there, but her fear of what could happen overtook her. Satisfied with the effect his words had, Joffrey walked off with his friends, leaving Myrcella to head to her next class, feeling guilty and upset.

After lunch ended Myrcella practically sleepwalked through her remaining classes until P.E. She entered the locker room and saw Arya, already in her P.E. uniform which consisted of black three-quarter length leggings; a dark green/white T-shirt; white ankle socks and black sneakers. Arya smiled and nodded at Myrcella who began to get changed; Myrcella however gave Arya a serious look back, Arya noticed and waited until the locker room was empty, they were both alone.

"What's wrong Cella?" Arya asked carefully.

Myrcella shook her head. "It's Joffrey; he's…Gods he's taking things too far, tormenting your brother again."

Arya frowned darkly. "What's he done now?"

Myrcella explained everything was happening and then added.

"He said if we tell anyone, he'll tell the whole school about our relationship…If he does that, we…"

Arya bit her lip but then gently kissed Myrcella. "It's okay, we'll figure something out, I promise; we need to just try and help Bran as much as possible. We can get Jojen to help us too."

Myrcella just hoped Arya was right and they entered the girls gym and waited with the others for Coach Tarth; waiting for the lesson to begin. In the meantime; they both wondered fretfully if Joffrey would really wait for them to try and defend Bran to out them, or simply do it out of spite. They also hoped they could find some way to help Bran, to finally free him from all this; but right now, that looked to be something they would not be able to accomplish.

Bran kept his head down; ignore the snickering of the boys as he removed his uniform, down to his briefs again. Several of the boys here had been in the cafeteria and they would've told everyone else. He quickly pulled on his P.E. uniform; a pair of white knee length shorts; a black/dark green polo shirt; white socks and black sneakers. Once dressed he followed the boys into the gym, dejectedly. He hated P.E. he was one of the losers; the ones that the sports stars loved to attack during the games, the ones that Coach Thorne mostly ignored and never showed any care for, only calling them by their last names and such. Bran didn't even get that, Coach Thorne only ever called him 'boy' Today he heard they were playing football; he cringed, knowing all to well that he was going to suffer badly for this. He was the last one picked and the team was on put him in goals, only doing so half-heartedly. The game began and before long Bran realized he was being targeted again; He recieved his first clue when the first shot at his goal actually hit his leg, the second on his arm. They weren't trying to score goals, they were aiming at him, trying to hit him. He couldn't say anything he knew, Coach Throne would dismiss it as part of the game and ignore him. After being hit six times Bran noticed Jojen, who was also on his team, moving to try and defend him, but he could only do so much. Then, suddenly, the ball flew with great force than expected and struck him in the face. He fell back with a yelp, clutching at his nose.

By the time he was aware of his surroundings again, Jojen was next to him and Coach Thorne stood over him.

"Infirmary boy, now." Was all he said.

Bran dejectedly got up and pulled his hands away, he noted the blood on them. He also noted that, while not broken, his glasses were now crooked.

"I'll go with him sir." Jojen said quickly.

Throne glared. "No you won't Reed, get back in place, keep going."

Bran didn't even look back after that, but simply left and hurried to the infirmary, trying to keep the blood from flowing.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 15 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you like it :)  
Katie230: Glad you like the story, I know it's sad, don't worry however, things will get better, but sadly, they'll get worse first. Yeah, he's having a hard time, it is hard on him. Well, he does also bully Jojen and a few others occasionally, but Bran is his main victim, the reason for that will be theorized in a later chapter however.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah; he's still having a hard time and it's getting worse; yeah I know, she's very kind-hearted that way.  
Marina Ka-Fai: I wish you could, but please be patient, let things take their course and you'll see what happens.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

'_Another awful P.E. class.'_

Those were Bran's thoughts as he left the infirmary. He was holding the ice pack to his face, the bleeding had been stopped. The nurse had asked him what happened, he simply told her it was an accident; even though he knew it wasn't. He knew that if he said otherwise then those that bullied him would find out and he would be treated worse than ever. Once he was finally allowed to leave the infirmary, the bell had rung, school was over. He returned to the locker room and put the ice pack aside. The room was empty, much to his relief, he wasn't in the mood for the guys mocking him and pushing him around again. He opened his locker and stripped off his P.E. uniform before pulling out his school uniform; he pulled on his trousers and froze.

"Oh shit, no." He groaned.

He should've known better, he should've locked his locker, the other boys had been in his locker and tampered with his uniform; knowing it would get him into trouble, due to the school's strict policy on uniform. The legs of his trousers had been hacked off just above the knees, turning them into shorts, his shirt was almost completely covered in pink and yellow paint and his tie and pullover had been stolen. He dejectedly pulled the clothes on and groaned as he picked up his schoolbag and looked in one of the mirrors next to the sink. He looked awful, his nose was still bleeding slightly; his glasses were crooked and his clothes a state. He shook his head and left the locker room.

Unfortunately, when he exited the locker room, he was spotted by Coach Thorne.

"Boy, what is that?" He spat.

Bran froze. "S-sir I…"

Bran's words died on his lips, he knew anything he said would be pointless. Coach Throne never listened to him.

The coach shook his head. "You know the rules boy, that's detention now!"

Bran bowed his head and followed Coach Throne, waiting for his fate; trying hard not to let any more tears fall, he was being pushed to his limits, he had to stop this now, there was only one thing to do. He would have to put his plan into actions. It was an hour after his normal time for returning home, but finally Bran was home. He hurried up to his room and removed the ruined uniform; he quickly pulled clean clothes on and binned the uniform.

'_No need to trouble anyone; they'll just call the principal and then word will get out and it'll be worse.'_ He thought; however he had some hope. _'I just hope my plan works, it's my best hope.'_

So; taking a deep breath and, leaving a note to tell his parents he would be out but back before dinner, he left the house and took a bus to the Riverlands.

He got off the bus and began walking through the streets; looking around, trying to find them. Finally, he saw them, most of them, some were missing, but the important one was there. They were in a diner; however he was momentarily distracted from his plan because he saw, in the same diner, still in her school uniform, was Gwen. His mouth went dry again as he was distracted by her long legs, bare to her mid-thighs as she had folded the hem of her skirt up. He quickly shook himself; he came here for a reason; he could wait and hope he could get closer to and deal with his feelings towards Gwen later. He entered the diner and approached Joffrey and his friends, Sandor and Meryn. The trio looked up and smirked when they saw Bran.

"Well, well." Joffrey remarked. "Baby Bran, hope you liked your outfit."

Bran fought back a blush, unsure if Joffrey was referring to how he had pulled Bran's trousers down that lunch time, or if he was admitting it was him and his friends who ruined Bran's school uniform after P.E.

He cleared his throats and spoke quickly. "I want to talk to you guys; please, just listen to me."

The three of them shared incredulous looks; and then, eyes narrowed suspiciously, Joffrey nodded, indicating he would listen.

Bran took a deep breath and spoke up.

"I don't know why you guys keep picking on me, but please, I'm asking you to stop." He said; continuing quickly before they could interrupt. "Why can't we just be friends; please, that's all I want."

Joffrey and his friends stared at each other, incredulous before Joffrey smirked.

Joffrey turned back to him. "So, you wanna be friends with us huh, is that it?"

Bran nodded and Joffrey continued.

"Okay then, let's see, we can't just let you join us; you have to prove you're capable of it."

Bran stiffened, but he couldn't back down, this could be his chance to end the bullying. "I'll do anything, please, just tell me."

Joffrey's smirk turned unpleasant. "You have to insult someone; badly, so that they are upset, got it."

Bran froze at that; he couldn't believe this; they were trying to force him to act the same as them. But if it ended his torment, he just hoped it would be the only time.

"Well then, let's have you insult…her." Joffrey remarked; pointing.

Bran's heart sank as he saw Joffrey point as Gwen. _'Oh no, please…dammit, I'm sorry Gwen, I'll make it up to you, I promise.'_

So, taking a deep breath, he walked towards Gwen.

Bran couldn't believe he was doing this; he soon found himself standing in front of Gwen. She was looking up at him, confused and, he noticed, slightly worried.

"Bran?" She queried.

He thought back to everything he knew about Gwen, in combination to what he saw before him, what Gwen was eating and such. Finally, the words came to his mind; he was actually sickened that he was able to think them up.

"You sure you should be eating all that Gwen." He was trying to make his tone as insulting as possible.

Gwen froze, staring at him in shock; she was clearly surprised. "Wh-what?"

Bran knew Joffrey and his friends were watching; he knew if he faltered then they would bully him worse than ever and never let him forget his actions here.

As such, the words then came tumbling out. "You don't wanna be _Fat Gwen_ again, surely."

Then, contrary to what he expected; instead of breaking down, Gwen exploded. She leapt from her seat and threw her drink in his face.

"How dare you!?" She shrieked; eyes wide, her face red, her rage was intense.

Bran faltered; he stepped back, blinking to clear his vision. Gwen continued to shriek at him, catching the attention of everyone in the diner. Bran looked over helplessly and saw, to his horror, Joffrey's table was empty. They had bailed on him; they had set him up and were leaving him to deal with the fallout of Gwen's temper. It all grew too much for Bran and he broke and ran out of the diner, Gwen yelling after him.

Back home, after drying his face, Bran hid up in his room.

'_Gods, I can't believe I was so stupid. Dammit, they tricked me; I should've known this would've happened.'_ He thought desperately. _'Shit, I'm so sorry Gwen; Gods, I've got to fix this; I need to find her and talk to her, tell her I made a terrible mistake. I just hope she'll listen to me. She can't have changed that much after all.'_

He just prayed his hopes were right and he could fix this; even if it meant putting up with Joffrey and his gang continuing to harass him. As long as he could fix things with Gwen, he just hoped she wasn't so far gone that everything could go back to the way they were.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	16. Chapter 16

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 16 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Marina Ka-Fai: He's sorry because remember he has a crush on her and really, Gwen hasn't done anything particularly bad to him. She hasn't harmed him directly like the others, yet.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah it's pretty low of them to do that.  
Katie230: Glad you liked the chapter, yeah, it's pretty sad for Bran. Throne, help him, I do hope you are joking, as if Thorne would ever help anyone.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
mercy: Damn, wow, I actually thought I had done that, turned out I really hadn't. Thanks for bringing my attention to it; I've fixed it now.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Guinevere Frey stood in front of her mirror, clad in just her bra and thong. She was examining her body; particularly her long slender legs, her charm point. She thought desperately of all her hard work to lose the fatness she had as a child. She had almost banished the 'Fat Gwen' curse forever; then Bran, of all people, had to remind her, worse still he practically insulted her with it. She couldn't believe he would be so cruel towards her, she should've guessed he was waiting for a chance to make her feel bad.

'_Dammit; I lost my temper, that's the big problem here. I let myself get carried away by emotions.'_ She thought fervently. _'I need to teach him a lesson; there's no way I'm letting him get away with insulting me like that, but how can I do it? Think Gwen, think.'_

She paced her room; so far gone in her thoughts she wasn't even aware she hadn't pulled any clothes on over her underwear.

She growled as she racked her brains desperately. _'C'mon, it shouldn't be this hard to think up some revenge plot; just to teach him a lesson. To show him he can't humiliate me and get away with it.'_

Angered by her inability to come up with a suitable plan she knocked something off her bedside table.

She was about to retrieve what she'd knocked over when she saw what had been under it. She cringed; it was something she thought she had got rid of a long time ago. A picture of her childhood; during one of the times Bran had come around to play. They always played under the tree in the back garden; she could still see it from her window too. She shook her head. The picture only reminded her of what had happened earlier that day when she saw Bran and she immediately ripped the picture to shreds, throwing it in the bin. Just then a knock at the door reminded her of her state of dress. She hurriedly grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it on, pulling it tight around her and tying the belt.

"What is it?" She said, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

The door opened and she saw two of her half-sisters enter and greeted her.

"Hey Gwen, what's up?" Ella Frey asked her.

Gwen was about to reply when Adala Frey cut across her. "Something's bothering you so don't try to hide it, let's hear it, come on. Tell us what's wrong."

Gwen sighed and pondered briefly; Ella and Adala were her closest family members; maybe she could depend on them, and if she explained it properly, maybe some of her friends from school would also help. So she told her half-sisters what happened and also called up her friends, telling them the same story. Soon they were all gathered together and finally, they began planning, before long they were satisfied and now they were ready; soon they would make Bran pay for what he had done.

Bran sat on the bus, fretting about what had happened. He had just finished dinner, although his appetite had suffered due to his intense worry.

'_Dammit, what am I gonna say to her; Gods how do I tell Gwen I didn't mean it.'_ He thought fearfully. _'I should apologize, but if I go and see her now, she'll still be angry and won't listen. If I wait until tomorrow, she should've calmed down by then, I can talk to her, explain the truth; hopefully she'll forgive me.'_

He hadn't meant to say something so horrible; he cursed himself for doing it, for being so stupid, for even trusting Joffrey and his friends; believing he could end the bullying by befriending them. Hopeful with his decision he got off the bus when it stopped at The Neck and decided to visit the Reeds. At the Reeds house Jojen paced in his room; he was worried about Bran; things were getting worse and worse. The incident in the P.E. class has been the latest incident that he knew about and he truly didn't know what was going on with his best friend anymore. In truth, he didn't know who to trust, who he could speak to. But finally he reached a decision and went to find his sister. He soon found Meera; she was in the kitchen; eating potato chips from the bag.

Meera looked up and smiled as her brother came into the kitchen; however her smile faded when she saw his expression.

"Meera, can we talk for a minute?" He asked.

She nodded. "Sure, c'mon, sit down."

He did so and they shared the chips. After a while Jojen began to speak and told her about the incidents he knew of regarding Bran and the bullying he suffered. One of the things he told her was the incident where Joffrey pulled the chair trick.

Meera grimaced as she listened. "That's usually nothing but kid's play; but, the way it happened, what happened to Bran; that's just sick."

"Oh, it's not just that Meera. It's worse, it happens constantly. Even today, it was even worse at P.E. Bran left the class with a nose bleed. They were shooting at him on purpose, just to hurt him." He shook his head helplessly. "I don't know what to do."

"You need to be careful, Jojen. They can turn to you..." Meera began to warn him.

Jojen nodded however; knowing what she meant "I'm an easy target, i know. But I need to help bran."

Meera nodded. "Okay, I understand. I'll help; see if I can think of something."

Jojen left the room, relieved to know Meera would help. Meera stayed in the kitchen however, thinking about the situation.

She knew Bran and his family well, she had been in the same year as his older brother and his cousin Jon - who she had been closer than with Robb - they were good friends, maybe she should call him - no, Jon was busy in military college, away far to the North. She couldn't bother him with this. Meera also found herself thinking about something else, something she kept hidden from everyone. Her connection to the family it wasn't just through Jon or Robb, or Jojen's friendship with Bran, but through her and Bran. She and bran were... something - if she was honest she liked him, more than a friend, even though she knew she shouldn't. He was younger and so innocent, but he was nice and smarter than most boys her age. But she never said anything - mostly because for most of the time she knew him, her feelings and potential relationship with Bran would have been a crime. But now, she wanted to go to him, she wanted to save him. She just didn't know how. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Jojen answered it and soon she found herself fighting to focus. Bran had come to visit; catching her off guard. They spent time together, talking. She noticed Bran's preoccupation and what looked like fear and her heart went out to him. She'd have to do something and soon; she'd need to overcome whatever it was holding her back, so she could help Bran and hopefully save him from his problems.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	17. Chapter 17

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 17 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Katie230: Yeah, she certainly is; as a matter of fact, that's the whole point, the reason that is the point is because of what you said, she is basically a spoiled child. Glad you liked Meera's interactions and also for you last comment; well, we can only wait and see. Glad you enjoyed it BTW.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Myrcella checked herself carefully in her mirror. She was clad in a gold knee length one shoulder strap dress with gold sandal heels and a golden bracelet on her left wrist. She was getting ready for a date with Arya; she was very nervous about it however, even though Arya promised to pick her up far enough away from the house that her family wouldn't see. Her nervousness came more from the fact they were in fact going on a double date. Arya told her that they would be with her friend Gendry and his girlfriend Jeyne Heddle. Arya reassured her that both Gendry and Jeyne knew about them, but that didn't ease her fears sadly. Just then she jumped as she heard raised voices from downstairs. She cringed as she could guess exactly what was going on; her parents were downstairs, in the living room, meeting with her grandfather Tywin Lannister, as well as her mother's brothers. She could easily guess what had happened; her sexuality had just been revealed. Despite her fear she had to know more. So she left her room and moved quietly downstairs. Just in time to see her grandfather leave the house, with his quiet rage exuding clearly, shaking and trembling she entered the living room.

Her parents were at one end of the room. Her father standing, her mother sitting, both with identical looks of rage on their face. Standing nearby, with bemused expressions on their faces were her uncles. She was relieved Joffrey wasn't here; he would surely have taken her grandfather's side. She was also relieved Tommen wasn't there either, she didn't want her little brother caught in the middle of this.

"Mum, dad?" She asked hesitantly.

They looked up at her and her mother sighed. "Well, that could've gone better."

It was then Tyrion remarked.

"I must say, I'm surprised. I never thought we'd agree on something sister."

Cersei glared again. "Father may have taught me to respect my elders, including him…" She looked up seriously at Myrcella. "But no one calls my baby sick, not even my father, just because of who she loves."

Myrcella smiled. "Thanks mum."

Cersei's expression softened.

"It's no trouble sweetie; don't worry about your grandfather. You better hurry; don't want to be late for your date."

She smiled and nodded; quickly grabbing her purse and dashing into the downstairs bathroom to check herself in the mirror. Satisfied that she looked okay she left the house and hurried to the top of the street. She was surprised when she arrived to find Arya had forgone her motorbike and arrived in a car. She quickly climbed into the front passenger seat; Arya smiled at her.

"Hey, good to see you again." They kissed and Arya, seeing Myrcella's quizzical expression, explained. "I borrowed Sansa's car. She's home for the weekend and agreed to let me use it."

She smiled and allowed herself to relax while Arya drove them to where they would be having their date.

They soon pulled up at the restaurant and Arya smiled. Myrcella was nervous again however.

Arya saw this and gently took her hand. "Don't worry, nobody we know will see us. There are private rooms in this place, Gendry booked one for us, let's go."  
Feeling reassured Myrcella followed Arya into the restaurant. They restrained themselves and walked casually until they reached the private room. Once the door was closed Arya took her hand again and they approached the table. Already seated at the table Gendry and Jeyne smiled at them as they approached.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Gendry greeted them warmly.

Jeyne smiled and nodded. "It's nice to see you both; thank you for joining us."

Myrcella smiled, liking the young woman already.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too." She said, truthfully.

They took their seats, having already made their orders and began talking together. Jeyne was curious about Arya and Myrcella. They didn't mind as they could see she was not judging them and supported their relationship whole heartedly. They explained about how they got together. While eating Arya's curiosity grew and she decided to ask the question that had been growing on her mind for some time.

"Say, Jeyne, I've been wondering. Gendry's ex-girlfriends; they've always had problems with Gendry and me hanging out, but not you." She stated; before then asking. "Did you know, or guess, that I was…"

Jeyne smiled and nodded. "As a matter of fact I did, I was pretty sure. Besides, even if you weren't, I wouldn't mind you being friends with Gendry."

Arya smiled and the four of them continued their date; enjoying themselves, happy and in love with their respective partners.

Bran trembled as he left the bus in the Riverlands. He had thought over everything he had planned to say, he could only hope Gwen would listen. Much to his surprise; almost as soon as he left the bus; he nearly ran into her. He froze, once again, enthralled by her appearance, especially as she chose such revealing clothes, a skirt that barely covered her butt and a tank-top that made an impressive display of her cleavage.

"Bran?" She remarked; seemingly surprised.

He froze, all his planned speech was gone from his mind. He quickly, desperately attempted to recover it. She wasn't yelling at him so he took that as a good sign. Even if he wasn't prepared; he plunged ahead, it was the only chance he had.

"Gwen please, I…I need you to listen to me." He blurted out. "I…I'm so sorry about I said, I never meant it I just; Joffrey and the others, they…I was…"

To his surprise she suddenly grasped his wrists and spoke. "Bran, I understand…I spoke to Joffrey and his friends, they told me all about it. I still can't believe what I heard."

She shook her head and actually looked bitter.

"I was so blind and stupid; even Boros was using me can you believe that?" She remarked angrily. "I'm supposed to be smart; but Boros tricked me into thinking I was special, when in fact he was cheating on me."

Bran froze, shocked at what he was hearing; he could solve so many things here, if he just said the right thing and remained careful.

So, taking a deep breath he spoke.

"Gwen, I'm sorry, so sorry for everything, what they've done to you, it's not right. Is there anything I can help you with?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'm so glad to hear you see that; in fact, I think it's time I made it up to you, for everything I've done. Let's talk about this at my house, please."

He smiled and nodded in agreement and so together they headed to the home where Gwen lived on the Frey estate.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please :)

So, things are picking up pace; why this sudden change in Gwen, could it have anything to do with what she said to her half-sisters and friends in the previous chapter, stay tuned.


	18. Chapter 18

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 18 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Marina Ka-Fai: Well, her plan is about to be unveiled and it's not pleasant. Glad you like Cersei :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Katie230: Yeah well, it's bad alright, read on and see, the trap will soon be sprung, worse still, this is only the beginning. Glad you like Cersei in this :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you are enjoying it; yeah, Meera's almost ready to admit her feelings for Bran; yup they sure are, here's their plot unveiled. I'm afraid things are about to go downhill for poor Bran. Glad you liked the date though and Cersei's defence of Myrcella :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Bran was feeling better than he had in a long time. Gwen had just admitted to him that she had made a mistake, what was more, she accepted his apology. Even better, she wanted to make up for the collapse of their friendship and maybe, even more than that. He couldn't deny he was enticed, Gwen's clothes certainly weren't helping. It was as if she was intentionally trying to flirt by utilizing her body and revealing clothes. Yet there was still a reserve about her that made it clear she would be the one to pick who she enticed. Somehow that made it seem all the more special to Bran. Finally they arrived at Gwen's house and headed inside. Bran smiled as he looked around the familiar house; they had passed the tree they had played under as children, he remembered it well. Once inside she turned to him and he noticed she was giving him a coy smile.

"You know, nobody else is here." She told him quietly. "It's just us."

As she said that she touched his arm and an electric thrill shot up it. He looked at her; stammering, trying to form the words.

She shook her head. "I know this is probably a bit quick Bran, but we were good friends, we've kinda…already built up to this moment. So, what do you say?"

He couldn't believe it; without actually saying anything she made it clear just what she meant. He nodded, already feeling excited.

Gwen smirked at that and took his head.

"Follow me, we may have the place to ourselves, but we don't want someone walking in on us." She told him. "We're going down to the basement."

Bran let her lead him down and once down in the basement she let go of his arm and turned to him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Bran started a bit but then, grinning like a fool; naïve in the belief that everything was happening better than he hoped it would. Being guided solely by his affections for Gwen and by his own repressed desires, he ignored common sense which warned him this was too soon, that something felt wrong. He immediately began to remove his clothes, soon he pulled off his socks and turned to her.

He blushed. _'If I'd known this was going to happen, I would've picked better underwear.'_

Gwen smiled at him, although inside she was trying not to laugh at what she saw. _'Gods, could he be any more childish; white briefs with Pikachu designs; oh, this just got better. Time for the next step of the plan.'_

She smiled and spoke again. "Wait, that'll do for now, before I get undressed. Wanna make it more…interesting."

She leaned close and whispered in his ear, his eyes widened but then he nodded.

"S-sure, sounds fun."

So, smiling Gwen led him over to one of the wooden beams and he lay down on the floor. Before long Gwen had his hands tied to the beam, trussed tight with the rope she had left in the basement.

Bran tugged experimentally at the ropes around his wrists, they were pretty solid. He was nervous but also excited, it felt strange being in bondage like this. Gwen smiled at him as she reached for something.

"Not too tight I hope." She said carefully.

He shook his head. "No, it's fine, although, I'm gonna need you to untie, I can't undo those knots myself."

She nodded and then suddenly her mood changed. "Good, c'mon in girls, it's time to teach the little runt a lesson!"

With that Bran heard footsteps and saw, to his horror, two of Gwen's half-sisters and her friends entering the basement. He immediately realized he was trapped; he had been tricked.

"No, wait, please!" He cried out to Gwen. "Please don-MURGH!"

His cries were strangled when she revealed the object she picked up had been his socks, she had balled them together and had now just roughly shoved them into his mouth, gagging him. He was now helpless as Gwen plucked his glasses off his face and stood up, the girls encircled him; completing their trap and leaving him in fear of what they planned to do to him.

Bran froze as he heard the girls, the things they were saying.

"Gods look at him, skinny little runt, like any girl would ever be interested in him."

Another girl laughed. "Not to mention he's so pasty white, ugh, not a good look."

Gwen then spoke up, he recognized her voice. "Yeah, he's a total little geek who can't grow up too. Look."

Bran's faced burned with shame, Gwen was directing their attention to his childish briefs.

"Awww, little baby Bran; what a loser."

They all laughed at that and began chanting loser at him, over and over again. He bowed his head; trying hard not to cry. Then he heard it, the words that cut deepest.

"He's so pathetic; no wonder nobody cares about him, or even wants him, not even his family, he's such a disappointment to them."

And then he heard it and he panicked again.

"Nh, dhn't plmhfm!" He begged but they just laughed at him and continued taking pictures of his humiliating predicament.

His thoughts raced desperately. _'Oh Gods no, please; why are they taking pictures of me like this. Oh no, please don't say they're gonna show everyone.'_

But his fears were confirmed because at that moment he heard Gwen speak. "Wonder how people will react to seeing these huh."

He shook his head; fearful, they couldn't do that, they wouldn't.

"You don't want people to see them, well, we'll see, I've not decided yet, maybe if you do what you're told, maybe we won't."

Bran heard that and clung to it, it was his only ray of hope in this situation. He'd do anything they asked, if it kept them from revealing the pictures to everyone.

He tugged at his bonds again, but couldn't escape, more pictures where being taken. Then suddenly, to his horror, he felt one of the girls gripped the waistband of his briefs; threatening to remove them, exposing him and the fact his arousal was still present.

"Nh, Ghdf nh, plmhfm, Hm bmg nhh, dhn't!" He cried desperately; trying to get the socks out his mouth without success.

The girl laughed cruelly. "Oh don't worry little baby, none of us want to see your tiny little dick anyway."

With that she removed her hands from the waistband and delivered one harsh smack to his bottom, making him yelp into his gag. He wasn't sure how much time passed but finally the pictures stopped and his hands were untied. He was held tight, his arms pinned, and lifted up before being dragged upstairs. He was dragged through the house to the door, which was opened and he was thrown heavily onto the grass; his clothes and glasses were thrown on top of him. He then heard Gwen yelled at him.

"Now get out of here loser; we'll deal with you at school, I think by then, we'll have decided what to do with you, regarding the pictures."

The door slammed shut and Bran, too numb even for tears, pulled his socks out of his mouth. Not even caring about their dampness he pulled them on, along with his glasses. He then proceeded to pull the rest of his clothes on and stood up and left the Frey estate. He remained numb and silent as he rode home on the bus. His eyes blank and unseeing.

He made it back home and entered. He could hear the rest of the family but he didn't feel like joining them. He carefully slipped past them all and made it upstairs; he entered his room and locked the door. The numbness was disappearing, he could feel the stinging in his eyes. Without any further thought he threw himself on his bed and let the tears fall. The wave of anguish and pain overwhelmed him; he just cried, he couldn't believe the girl he had cared about, the one he loved, more than anything, would betray and hurt him like that. Never before had he felt so cruelly used; worse than all that, he couldn't say anything to anyone or he'd be humiliated for the rest of his life; he was alone.

* * *

End of chapter, poor Bran, now things are about to take a turn for the worse for him; stay tuned to see how and where this will end; read and review please.


	19. Chapter 19

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 19 of my Game of Thrones story.

**Reviews**

**Katie230: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, she sure is; well, she wasn't like that originally, remember Bran's memories of her; it was her new popularity and her desperation to keep it that changed her; made her into what she's now become. It's very rare that I do stories where Bran walks and then is paralyzed, he's either paralyzed from the start or not at all. There will be a bit of a wait, five chapters counting this one to be precise, but he will be helped. That's where the second part of the title comes in :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: I'm afraid so; however, hold strong, things will be pretty bad over the next few chapters but will eventually change for the better.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, it's pretty sad for him.  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, not for a while yet though.  
LostCriesofTime: Welcome back, replying to what you've reviewed so far, will answer any other reviews you give in the next chapter :) Well, I wouldn't say they were left out, just not told at that moment, read on and you'll see what I mean; glad you like their friendship too :) Yeah, I always like those sort of chapters, glad you liked Ned's scene, was fun to write. Glad you liked all the family bonding :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Bran groaned as there was another knock at the door. This was the fourth time today; he then heard the knock again, more insistent and then his mother's voice.

"Bran, are you okay, you've been in there all day."

Bran swallowed and tried to keep his voice level. "I'm fine mum, I'm just really tired."

There was silence, some hesitance before he heard his mother walk away from the door. He slowly sat up and bowed his head. His mind raced with the memories of the horrific incident at Gwen's house, what she and her friends had done to him. True he had been mean to her, reminding her of her former weight problems, but still, surely what she had done was going too far.

'_It's just too over the top, why would she do something like that?'_ He thought sadly; before his fear returned with greater intensity. _'They said they weren't done, tomorrow in school, they're gonna do something with those pictures they took.'_

He trembled as he thought about the pictures. His compromising situation, caught for everyone to see; what would they do with them; that is what he feared the most. If they showed even one of those pictures to anyone, especially Joffrey, his life would become insufferable; impossible. He'd be ridiculed and targeted for life; Joffrey would go out of his way to make him suffer.

Catelyn was deeply afraid; except at meal times, Bran had stayed shut up in his room all day. She couldn't just leave this; no matter what he said; she was certain he wasn't just tired. He'd been acting strangely for some time; but not like this, at least, not until yesterday. It was yesterday that Bran began to shut himself off. He had left for the Riverlands on Saturday, she had no idea when he had returned but after he had, he had shut himself in his room and had remained there ever since, with the exception of the times she had recalled. She entered the study, Ned was working but he looked up as she entered. He saw her expression and immediately stood up.

"Cat, what's wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I'm worried about Bran Ned; he's acting so strangely. He won't come out his room; he won't say anything to anyone. Whatever food he had today, he just picked at it, barely ate anything."

Ned was instantly serious; he had noticed Bran's odd, worrying behaviour too. "I've seen it too; you're not the only one who is worried. We've all seen it; I heard Arya, Robb and Sansa talking about it too."

Catelyn sighed.

"What are we going to do; he's…Bran's never been like this before, I'm afraid, something bad might happen. He refuses to tell us anything; shuts us out when we ask him what's wrong, it's almost like he doesn't want help, like he's too afraid to ask for it." She explained.

Ned nodded, pondering this himself; he knew it all too well, he had seen it too after all. He was afraid; after all, despite everything he would try to do, he knew Bran would refuse to let them in. The main fear he felt was that something drastic would happen and it would be almost too late, by the time someone was able to help him.

Arya sat up in her room; her fears gnawing away in her stomach. However the fears were not for herself, but for her brother Bran.

'_What happened to him, this isn't right, he's never acted like this before?'_ She thought worriedly. _'Has the bullying got worse; no I would've noticed that. This has to be something that happened recently; it must've happened on Saturday; that's when he started acting like this.'_

She was interrupted from her thoughts by her phone. She checked it and smiled, it was Myrcella. They were finding more and more time to spend together, especially now that Lommy and Hot Pie also knew about them. She answered the call.

"Hi Cella." She greeted; trying hard to sound cheerful.

"Hi Arry, are you okay?" Myrcella replied straight away.

Arya sighed; maybe she hadn't hid it as well as she thought. "I'm fine Cella, but I'm worried about Bran."

She heard Myrcella's sharp intake of breath before she asked. "What's happened?"

"I don't know; he's…he's being so secretive; something's got him worked up, he barely ate anything at dinner and he…Whatever it is it happened yesterday, that's when he started acting like this, not eating, shutting himself in his room."

Myrcella gasped. "Gods; that's bad. Is, is there anything…?"

Arya groaned and explained. "I don't think so; he's not…he's not letting anyone in. I'm worried something will happen before he does and then; Gods knows what'll become of him."

They continued talking, both trying to work out what they could do for Bran, while trying to keep each other's spirits up.

That night, Bran lay on his bed, lost in thought. The more he thought, the more dejected he felt. In addition to all his suffering, there was the knowledge that he couldn't tell anyone or things would get worse. Adding to all this was the knowledge that it didn't matter if he told anyone; no one would care. His earlier assumptions about him being nothing but a hindrance to his family seemed to be accurate. They certainly hadn't said anything to him, or even looked at him tonight. No, the only thing they spoke of all night was Arya; he wasn't even sure why. He has seen his mother looking worried and his father reassuring her. The others were all smiling and talking, all about Arya. Yet whenever they looked at him, they said nothing and looked at him strangely. He didn't belong; he was completely alone.

'_Joffrey was right; Gwen was right, they all were right.'_ He thought miserably. _'Nobody cares; I'm not important enough; I'm the fourth child, the one without any special traits, not worth anything. They can say they love me but…How do I even know it's true.'_

Worse than all this; Bran couldn't sleep because he knew all too well that only torment awaited him when he got to school in the morning. Sure enough he only slept fitfully in short minute bursts and before he knew it, it was morning. Trembling Bran pulled his uniform on and, fear clutching him tight in its grip; he headed to school.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please.

For those of you wondering about Bran's thoughts in this chapter, compared to the scenes with Catelyn and Arya. It's basically a catch 22 situation. Bran is afraid of repercussions and so closes himself off from others. They are worried but don't know how to deal with it or express their concerns. Bran mistakes this for them not caring and so retreats further into himself, basically making it a vicious cycle.


	20. Chapter 20

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 20 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, I know.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, well, sadly, not yet.  
Marina Ka-Fai: I know; he's slipping away I'm afraid.  
Katie230: Thanks, here you go.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapters; yeah, it's pretty sick what they did to him. Only gonna get worse I'm afraid and he won't, not for a while yet I'm afraid.  
Guest: Thanks, glad you are enjoying it, here you go.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Fighting hard to control his trembling, Bran entered the school. Almost immediately he could hear the whispering and he looked around fearfully. Had news of what happened already spread, had the pictures been seen? But his fears were laid to rest, partially. The people whispering where Gwen's friends, the people who had been there. They looked at him and grinned sadistically and he gulped. His mind flashed back to that horrible incident.

'_How could she do that to me; I loved her, I cared for her…Everything she told me that day, it was all a lie.' _He thought mournfully. _'It's; there's no way she can justify what she did; yes I was mean to her, but this is beyond mean, beyond cruel, that was way too far.'_

He continued to lament his situation as he went to the cafeteria and sat at one of the tables, alone. Jojen wasn't here yet; nor would he be able to help if he was, Bran knew he couldn't breathe a word to anyone, or soon those pictures would end up going through the whole school.

His mind was on those photos. _'I can't believe they took pictures of me like that; I made it even worse, wearing such childish underwear, but still; they took those dammed pictures. That's gonna come back and bite me in the ass, I know it.'_

He looked up and fought back a groan as he was proven right; for Gwen's friends were now approaching him, smirking at him with clear intent.

They soon circled his table and he knew he was trapped; he sat stiffly, upright, looking up at them. Finally one of them, one of Gwen's half-sisters he noted, spoke.

"Okay boy, listen up, we're going to need you to do a few things for us." She paused and then added. "Of course, you're going to do them, without arguing, got it."

Bran tried to sound braver than her felt when he replied. "Wh-why should I…?"

He faltered because the moment he began speaking; the girl who spoke reached into her jacket and dropped a small bundle on the table in front of him. It was copies of the photos Gwen had taken during the basement incident. He froze; staring at them fearfully, he felt sick, they wouldn't, how could they be so cruel.

He looked up at their expectant faces and gave in. "A-alright then, I get it, what do you want?"

"We'll start with something simple for now…Just something we want you to do for us, so we can have time to think." Was the reply.

So, thankfully, the first task he was forced to do, wasn't all that unpleasant, if he ignored the fact that, by doing it he was giving them time to plan something more horrible to do to him. He was being made to do their English homework. By the time he was done the bell had gone and they told him that, at lunch, they would be ready for him. So, with his hand aching and dread settling heavy in his stomach, he left for his first class.

To Bran it felt like lunch came too fast. His stomach churned as he walked slowly towards the cafeteria; avoiding it would just prolong the agony or prompt them to reveal the pictures. When he entered he looked around, hopeful, but there wasn't a single teacher or figure of authority in sight; he knew if there was they might just leave him alone. Before long he found himself cornered by them. To his surprise they were holding a tray with food on it; yet their grins told him that this was part of whatever they had planned for him. He trembled again as the tray was handed to him.

"This is yours." The girl said; yet there was no kindness in her voice.

Bran noted briefly that there was nothing on the tray he particularly disliked; before their words sunk in and he realized what was about to happen.

"Now, get down on the ground and act like a dog."

The words were snarled and Bran felt the tears sting his eyes as he helplessly obeyed; knives and forks were not allowed obviously, not even his hands. He could hear the laughter and the comments and then, just as he feared, he heard his sister's voice, raising in protest.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing to my brother, leave him alone!"

Bran looked up and spotted Arya; he shook his head vigorously and she stopped, staring at him in disbelief.

He groaned. "Just leave it Arya, you don't understand, just walk away, now."

But she didn't move; Bran avoided her gaze and continued to do as he was told until he finished eating. He was a mess but they wouldn't let him go and wash up.

He heard more laughter and pointed comments and realized that Gwen, Boros, Joffrey and his crew were now present and clearly enjoying the scene, Joffrey certainly was. Just then, one of Gwen's friends approached him and handed him what looked like a headband. Bran stared at it in dismay; especially when the girl began giving him his instructions; he could feel all eyes upon him and knew they were all waiting for him to comply. He hesitated which prompted the girl to warn him.

"If you don't do as we tell you, then not only will we show the pictures to everyone." She pointed to where Meryn was pinning Jojen to a chair and added. "We'll also make you kiss him in front of everybody, got it."

Bran let out a shaky gasp and then, trembling and trying not to cry, he did as he was told. He put the headband on, it loudly declared in bright, visible letters 'I LIKE BOYS'. He was made to stand where everybody in the cafeteria could see him and then say, out loud, that he dreamed of sucking Boros' dick. This drew gales of laughter and derision and a nasty beating from Boros. By the time Boros calmed down Bran was finally allowed to go. He staggered out, but not before he heard the warning the girls gave him as he left.

He stood in front of the bathroom sink; staring vacantly into the mirror. He had washed the food off his face and removed the headband, but he didn't get rid of it, he wasn't allowed to. The tears slid freely down his face as he winced in pain, he was certain Boros' punches had bruised at least one of his ribs. But he couldn't go to hospital, that would lead to questions and then he would be finished. What was worse; it wasn't over yet. They informed him, in no uncertain terms that if he avoided the cafeteria at lunch then the pictures would be exposed and they would follow up on their threat of making him kiss Jojen, in front of the entire school. They were going to do this every day at lunch, they were going to force him to wear the headband and eat like dog every day at lunch. _every day._ He wasn't sure if they'd have him make any more false announcements; they hadn't said anything about that, but he felt they might. He found himself praying desperately for Friday to come, when school finished on Friday he could hide; he could stay in the house at the weekend and avoid it all. The weekend was safe, it was his haven.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please.

Well, things are getting worse for Bran; one thing that the girls have clearly overlooked however and indeed all the bullies have. A person can only take so much before they snap, so the question is, how long until Bran reaches his limit and what will happen then?


	21. Chapter 21

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 21 of my Game of Thrones story.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Sure thing.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :) Well, wait and see.  
Katie230: Yeah; remember what I said though, everyone has their breaking points, Bran's is approaching.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Hey, that might not be necessary, wait and see what happens.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

'_Just a bit longer, just a bit longer.' _Bran kept telling himself over and over again.

He felt utterly disgusted with himself; eating his food on the floor like a dog, wearing a headband that declared he liked boys and living in constant fear. But that's the way it was; the only good news was it was finally Friday, after suffering the same harsh treatment throughout the week, he would finally have some freedom to recover. He could tell from the looks he was getting in class that some of the teachers were getting suspicious. But he didn't dare say anything to them, as that would trigger the girls to carry out their threat and destroy his life forever. Sadly they're suspicions did not prevent the lunch time incidents, they simply delayed them or moved them to a different location; always with an audience however. Bran always found he had to humiliate himself in front of a large crowd. They hadn't forced him to make any more false confessions, but nobody let him forget the one he was forced to make on Monday. Always, with his insistence not to interfere, Arya could only watch helplessly, seething as she did so. Jojen was always present too, usually held in place by Meryn in case Bran refused and so Jojen was there for Bran to be forced to kiss as part of his punishment. Finally however it was over and, after being made to give the headband back, he rushed to the bathroom.

Back in the bathroom Bran quickly washed his face before looking at himself in the mirror. He was trembling again, he felt awful and looked it, his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, they were also red and puffy from crying, the tears slid down his face, mingling with the water around his mouth and chin before dripping off into the sink. He shook his head and carefully dried his face.

'_Why me, why?'_ He lamented to himself. _'What did I do to deserve this; I never did anything to hurt any of them, except for that one thing, but that doesn't justify all this, or everything else that's happened to me.'_

Another wave of revulsion struck and Bran suddenly felt it. He hastily propelled himself from the sink to the nearest toilet and threw up. When it finally subsided he straightened up and groaned, heading back to the sink to wash and dry and his face again. Once done he put his glasses back on and sighed. He pulled out his phone and checked it, there was still a few minutes of lunch left, still enough time for them to try and hurt him if he left, so he decided to stay put for now. However even that didn't save him, because at that moment the bathroom door opened. He initially thought it was just one of the other students and planned to ignore them. Until he saw them reflected in the mirror and the fear returned, it was Joffrey.

Joffrey was smirking triumphantly as he approached Bran; clearly looking to gloat.

Finally he spoke, sounding happier than Bran ever heard him. "Well, well, Bran Stark, you make a pretty good dog, loser and I always knew you were gay. But seriously, I think that weird kid is more your type."

Bran didn't say anything to that; he didn't even turn around, he just stayed looking in the mirror. He noticed that this time Joffrey was alone, oddly none of his usual group of friends were with him. He also noticed Joffrey was holding something in his hand. He soon learned what it was as Joffrey lifted them up to examine them and spoke again.

"What…interesting pictures; I'd imagine everybody would love to see them."

Bran froze, he couldn't believe it; Joffrey had seen the pictures, had seen what had been done to him. Suddenly, subconsciously, his hands, one gripping the sink, the other gripping his phone, began to clench. He couldn't believe it, Joffrey knew, he knew, it was over now, everything was over. But he could see the smug look on Joffrey's face and knew he wasn't done; there would be much more taunting to come and Bran couldn't escape it.

Joffrey stepped closer; he could see the distress on Bran's face, could see the suffering.

'_I might not be able to teach you a lesson personally.' _He thought bitterly. _'But this way, I can still hurt you, bitch.'_

He relished his opportunity and pressed home his advantage, still brandishing the photos.

"I wonder what your father would say if he saw these. Seeing you shame the family like that." He laughed. "Or what about your mother, spending all that time at the Sept, what would the Gods say to you taking pictures tied up in little boy's underwear?"

Bran's grip on the sink and his phone grew tighter, his knuckles were white now. _'I didn't take them.'_

He wanted to say that, to yell it even, but he couldn't find his voice.

Joffrey however seemed to read his mind as he taunted. "But you did strip off by your own will, right. What were you thinking of when you did that; your nerdy friend, or was it Boros, is that why you went to Gwen's?"

Bran's grip on the sink and his phone was painful now; he was even gritting his teeth now. His mind was racing, his thoughts all jumbled together, only one distinct one forming and repeating over and over again.

'_Shut up, shut up, shut up!'_

But Joffrey kept on talking; determined to get in every insult and dig he could to try and reduce the loser to a broken down wreck.

Seeing the strain on Bran, and misinterpreting it, Joffrey continued his goading tirade.

"Too scared to answer, just like the chicken-shit piece of trash you are." He remarked. "Just as pathetic as your slut sister, or the dyke!"

Bran was so incensed by Joffrey's comment about Sansa he missed the one about Arya. But what happened next he couldn't believe.

"Or your mother, fucking around with that creep Baelish. Your father's clearly too stupid or too wilfully blind, he probably wouldn't notice if I did it right in front of him."

That was the limit, it was like something inside Bran just snapped. He practically exploded; yelled, the noise he made was so feral it didn't even sound human. He was unable to squeeze anymore, so he lashed out with his right hand, the one holding his phone. Both the phone and the mirror smashed when they made contact and the shattered remnants fell down into the sink and onto the floor. One shard cut the back of Bran's hand but he didn't even feel it. He just saw the blood. He turned and shoved past a stunned and terrified looking Joffrey, knocking the photos out of his hand. He wrenched open the door to the bathroom and ran out. He didn't stop, he didn't even look to see if anyone noticed him. He simply ran, burst through the front doors of the school and out through the gates and didn't stop running. His heart was pounding in his ears, his blood rushing; all he wanted was to disappear, to put distance between him and school, between him and his nightmares, his tormentors, he just wanted it all to end and so he ran, unable to think of or even do anything else.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	22. Chapter 22

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 22 of Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, he sure has.  
Boris Yeltsin: Oh yeah, he certainly has.  
Guest: Thanks.  
Katie230: Thanks :)  
Wolfgril2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapters; yeah, it's pretty sick and he is having a really hard time now. Joffrey certainly is and yeah, it was pretty sick what he said.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Jojen was frantic; he was currently searching all over the North for Bran. His friend had been completely humiliated every day at lunch, with Jojen being forced to watch. He'd hoped that, on Friday, after school, he'd be able to talk to Bran and try and help him. But then Bran just disappeared. It had been then he found why Bran let those girls do all that to him; he heard Joffrey talking to Gwen and her half-sisters about the photos and realized to his horror that this was what must've happened to Bran on Saturday. It was then he also heard about the incident in the bathroom; he had slipped in there to check and sure enough, he spotted the broken mirror; what worried him however was the shard of glass he spotted with blood on it.

'_If Bran's hurt he'd normally seek help, but with all this…I don't know what he'll do.' _Jojen thought frantically to himself as he continued to search for his friend. He also wondered if Bran's family noticed he was missing yet; he felt he should go to the Stark's manor; but was afraid of panicking them. However, the thought did occur to him that Bran might be there; hiding. So Jojen had gone to the Stark's manor, he didn't knock on the door, he didn't need to. No matter how upset he was, Bran never broke his habit of opening his curtains when he got home. But Jojen could see Bran's window and the curtains were firmly closed. So with a sigh he turned away and continued looking.

Acting on impulse he entered the Godswood and there, by pure luck, he found his missing friend. Bran was sitting at the foot of the wierwood tree in the centre of the Godswood. Bran was sitting with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, his head rested on his knees and he was rocking, ever so slightly, back and forth. Jojen inhaled sharply as he saw the cloth which had been wrapped around Bran's right hand, acting as a crude bandage. Jojen slowly walked over; wondering if Joffrey's tale about the bathroom incident hadn't been an exaggeration, had Bran truly snapped like that? He sat down next to Bran he didn't change the pattern of what he was doing. But he did tense, indicating he knew someone had joined him.

"It's just me Bran." Jojen told him.

But Bran didn't relax, he still carried on the way he was.

Jojen felt at a loss and ended up saying the first thing that came to mind. "We should probably get someone to take a look at your hand."

"No need." Bran replied; although his right hand clenched, gripping his trouser leg.

Jojen was shocked to hear how hoarse Bran's voice was; but still Bran refused to say or do anything, Jojen's worry grew, he desperately wanted to help his friend. But what could he say, what could he say that could make any of this right again.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes Jojen couldn't take it anymore.

"Bran, please, talk to me." He pleaded; but still Bran said nothing. "Please, you're my best friend, I'm worried about you. If it's the photo's you're worried about, it won't be that bad, they have to…"

But he never got to finish his explanation, because at that moment Bran lifted his head. Jojen froze as he saw Bran's face, there was a wild blazing look in his eyes, tear tracks running down his face and it was clear he was in intolerable pain, not necessarily physical pain either.

Bran's words came out in a rush. "What, you've seen the photos?"

Jojen swallowed and tried to explain. "Yeah, but, look, if they try to show them, the blame…"

"How many people have seen them?"

Jojen felt guilty all of a sudden, he explained. "Just those girls, Joffrey and me. Look this can be fixed Bran, we just…"

But Bran didn't listen he shook his head. "No, it can't, it won't be okay, it can't be fixed. It's over Jojen. I'll be humiliated, beaten up, mocked, every day because of it."

"Bran…" Jojen wanted desperately to help his friend.

Bran however leapt to his feet; anger blazing in his eyes.

"YOU. DON'T. UNDERSTAND!" Bran yelled before turning to run out of the Godswood, yelling again as he did so. "Just leave me alone!"

With that he was gone, before Jojen could even stand up and try to go after him.

Bran once again found himself running; once again not paying attention to his surroundings. He had found some peace and took refuge in the Godswood. But then Jojen showed up, Bran knew his friend meant well but, he just didn't understand.

'_Nobody does; I'm all alone now, nobody has even the slightest clue what's really going on.'_ He thought dejectedly. _'Who even cares about a pathetic loser like me; worthless, nothing but a burden to my family.'_

He finally slowed to a walk. Things had passed by so quickly; he had been so lost in thought he hadn't realized that he must have got on a bus somewhere because he was now in the Riverlands. It was also starting to get late. So he found somewhere and stopped for the night, sleeping rough. The following day he resumed his listless walk, not caring where he went.

It was then, slowly, his thoughts began to form coherently. _'It's all her fault, Gwen, she changed so much, I don't even know her anymore. The girl I loved is gone, so what am I supposed to do now. I just can't go on, not like this'_

He continued to walk; avoiding any crowds and ignoring any strange, and curious, looks that he got. His hand throbbed slightly and he realized he had jarred it against a metal fence. He stopped; ideas had been swarming around in his head, but now they stopped. He stood and stared into the construction site in front of him. He saw something, something he could easily reach and remove from the construction site, his thoughts began to change, maybe this was his chance. So he reached in, grabbed what he needed and then, after much searching, found somewhere to stop for the night again. He'd do it tomorrow, he was certain of that.

It was Saturday night, and there were no news of Bran, he didn't have his phone, so Jojen knew he couldn't call him. He didn't have clue what to do, so, growing more worried by the minute, he decided to speak with his sister. He knocked on her bedroom door.

"Meera, can I come in?"

"Sure." She replied, cheerfully.

He stepped inside. Meera was sitting on her bed; her smile faded however when she saw Jojen's expression.

He sighed and explained. "I need to ask for your help with Bran."

"Okay." She said slowly, uncertainly. In her thoughts however she was panicking. _'Oh…no... Is he; it's got worse, hasn't it?!'_

She cleared her throat and asked. "Did something happen?"

Jojen nodded and then explained everything, about what Bran had been forced to do at lunchtime, the photos, the incident in the bathroom and the last time Jojen had spoken to him. Meera was horrified; she couldn't believe anybody could be so cruel; especially to someone as innocent as Bran.

"I'm really worried Meera." Jojen said finally. "He seemed so distressed on Friday afternoon; I don't know where he…"

"Have you tried his house; maybe he went back?"

Jojen bit his lip. "I don't want to pressure him."

Meera sighed, that was the root of the problem, those that wanted to help Bran, felt they couldn't or they'd be pressuring him.

She shook her head and explained.

"You should. You should make sure he's okay." She told her brother firmly. "It's a bit late today, but you can go there tomorrow morning and ask to speak with him and make sure he's okay; if he's not we can look around for him. Okay."

Jojen nodded, feeling relieved. "Thanks Meera, I will."

"Also, if you find him, let him know, if you and Bran ever need anything else; just ask me, okay."

Jojen nodded left, but Meera couldn't help but think about what happened that put Bran in such a bad position, that he would be so distressed. She couldn't take it anymore, she knew it would be risky, but she had to find him, she had to tell him tomorrow that things would be okay. It was clear from Jojen's words that Bran felt cut off, alone. She needed to show him that he wasn't. No matter how awkward she felt or how hard it would be, she knew now was the time, she'd have to tell Bran the truth. She needed to tell him that she loved him.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	23. Chapter 23

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 23 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, he's over the edge now.  
Veridissima: Yeah, well, Jojen tried his best, sadly, it just wasn't enough, well, read on and see.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

That Sunday was dull and overcast. A perfect reflection of her mood Meera felt as she quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. She found Jojen sitting at the kitchen table; he looked up as she entered and she saw the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Morning." She said softly. "You couldn't sleep either huh?"

He shook his head. "No; I just have a very bad feeling; that something terrible is going to happen."

Meera nodded, her own worries increasing; these bad feelings Jojen had were usually accurate. So they had a quick breakfast and prepared to leave.

"Meera, Jojen?"

They turned and saw their mother standing there, looking at them confused, still half-asleep.

Meera quickly explained. "We're going up to Winterfell mum, there's been some…problems and we need to speak to Bran as soon as possible."

Jyana nodded slowly. "Alright then, just be careful, both of you."

They agreed and headed out to Meera's car, once in they drove up to the north, both of them lost in thought. They were both thinking about how to talk to Bran, how to try and calm him down and convince him to let them help. Meera however was also thinking about her feelings for Bran, she had sworn she would tell him the truth, no matter what his reply was, but with everything that was going on, she wasn't sure how much help her confession would be.

They arrived and Meera parked the car, they headed out and approached the door; they knocked but there was no answer. They tried again, still nothing, Jojen looked at all the windows and sighed.

"Nobody's home." He said finally; wracking his brains. "I think, yeah, nobody's here, we're not gonna find Bran here. But where could he be?"

Meera tried to calm her brother down. "We need to be rational about this Jojen. Look Bran might still be around somewhere. Everybody here knows his family, maybe he's with them. Is there anywhere else he would go, other family perhaps?"

Jojen nodded. "His grandfather and uncle on his mother's side live in Riverrun; he could be down in the Riverlands."

"Okay, listen, here's what we'll do." Meera told him carefully. "We'll split up, you stay up here and see if Bran's anywhere around. I'll drive down to the Riverlands and see if I can find him there."

Jojen nodded in agreement and began his search, Meera meanwhile got her car and began her drive to Riverrun.

'_Please Bran, please be safe. There's so much I need to tell you.' _She thought desperately. _'So much I can do to help you, please, just stay safe so I can find you, if you let me in, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help you.'_

With those thoughts running through her head she drove to the Riverlands, desperately seeking the boy she loved.

Bran stood at the mouth of the alleyway; he knew he was a mess, he just didn't care. What he did care about was reaching the two destinations he had in mind. He could see them both, but he didn't want to be seen, it would raise questions, particularly due to what he had slung over his body. It was the length of rope he had taken from the construction site. He had worked at it all night and now he just needed to get into the right location and set it up, then finally everything could be sorted out. But first, there was something very important he had to do. Nobody was about so he took his chance and rushed to the payphone. He looked around as he prepared to make the call. Still nobody around.

'_Good, it's not just what I'm carrying that'll raise question, but if anyone overhears me.' _He was jolted out of his thoughts by the ringing of the phone.

However dismay set into his heart when he got the answer machine. He had so wanted to talk to his parents, but this would have to do.

He cleared his throat and began to speak. "Hi mum, dad, I guess you aren't home. Maybe it's better this way, I really did want to hear your voice…"

He broke down in tears for a few seconds before forcibly composing himself.

"But at least there's still the answering machine. Oh, everything's going to be okay, I'll be okay, happy…free. You don't have to worry about me anymore – one less mouth to feed."

He fought back a fresh wave of tears; he briefly wondered just what they would think of him when they heard it. "Well, goodbye mum, dad. I love you both so much; please tell the rest of the family I love them too and that…I'm sorry."

With that he hung up and took a deep steadying breath before leaving the pay phone and heading to his next destination, the Frey estate.

He was so sick of everything; now that he had practically admitted what he wanted to do, his movements were more automatic than anything. Everything had been pushed too far, become worse, become…unbearable, at Gwen's house. He still couldn't believe she could have done that to him. The same girl he had been friends with since childhood, how they had played 'house' together; the girl he had loved. But she had changed so much, just for the sake of being popular. He was angry at her, disappointed, she was no longer his childhood sweetheart. It broke his heart to admit it, but it was true and now, now he had nothing. There was only option left to his mind. He reached the large railing that surrounded this part of the Frey estate. He lifted the rope off and removed his jacket, dropping it outside the railings as he squeezed through the gap left by the missing one. He then proceeded to walk over to the tree where he and Gwen had spent their childhood together, playing and promising to always be there for each other.

'_She lied, she lied to me. Well, this is it, this is the time, time to say goodbye to the past, to everything.'_

He worked automatically, setting everything up and making sure the rope was secure. He then pulled the small picnic bench over until it too was under the tree. He let out a shaky breath as all the pain of everything that had happened consumed him. He couldn't take anymore, it was time to say goodbye to it, this was the only way.

Everything was ready, everything was secure, it was time. He took a deep breath and climbed up onto the picnic bench, he faced away from the tree, in the necessary position. He then fixed the noose around his neck and looked up. He faltered only for a moment when he saw Gwen standing at her bedroom window. She was looking out and starting at him, her mouth hung open.

His hesitance was quickly replaced with anger. _'Good, let her see this, let her see what she's done to me.'_

So, removing and pocketing his glasses and taking one more shaky breath and a final sob, Bran allowed himself to fall. The fall lasted for only a fraction of a second, his feet pushed the picnic bench away, when the rope snapped taunt and the noose tightened around his neck.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please.

Well, the evil cliffhanger strikes; what will happen next, will Bran be saved, or will he succeed in taking his own life?


	24. Chapter 24

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 24 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, I know, pretty drastic way to leave it :)  
Veridissima: Yeah, sorry, I'm evil with cliffhangers, yeah the call was pretty sad and well, here's your answer. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Katie230: Yeah it is, well, here's your answer, enjoy :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, he just can't cope anymore sadly. Well, read on and see what happens.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Meera sighed as she continued to drive around the Riverlands; she was looking for any sign of Bran, sadly she was yet to find it. Her mind was full of worry as she considered Jojen's bad feelings and the state Bran seemed to be in. He wasn't at the grandfather's house but Meera hadn't checked everywhere in the Riverlands, so she didn't give up. She received a text from Jojen not too long ago explaining that he hadn't found Bran anywhere in the North. This also added to her worries and she continued her search more desperately. She bit her lip as she drove past the large estate that belonged to the Frey Family. She pondered what she knew, the girl who Bran had a crush on, the one who had hurt him, lived here. It sent a strange pang through Meera's heart, but she forced herself to focus. Right now finding Bran was her number one priority. Just then she spotted something and stopped the car. She got out and hurried over to where there was a gap in the railings. Lying on the ground in front of it was a jacket, Meera picked it up and examined it.

'_It's Bran's.' _She realized. _'It definitely matches the description Jojen gave me, we know Bran didn't go home ever since he left school so he's not changed his clothes. He's here.'_

She looked up, curious, wondering why Bran would be here of all places.

She knew she wasn't going to find answers just standing there however. So she slipped through the gap in the railing and began to walk. Luckily the gardener hadn't been keeping up with his job, the grass at this part of the estate was rather long. Meera could see the trail Bran must have taken through the grass that was bent or trampled down. She followed the trail, noticing it led to one house in particular. Meera's fears grew, going by the description this was the house that Bran's crush lived in.

Her thoughts began to race as her fears increased. _'What is he doing here; something's terribly wrong about all this.'_

She picked up the pace and soon entered the back garden area of that house. She froze when she saw it, horrified. Bran was hanging from the large tree there, a noose securely fastened around his neck. He was choking and gasping, his legs twitched. It was then, with horrible clarity Meera realized two things. He had done this to himself and he was still alive. She reacted immediately and rushed forwards; her only thoughts being to save him, even from himself. She quickly reached him and, pulling a nearby picnic bench close and climbing onto it, she wrapped an arm around his waist. She lifted him up slightly, relieving the pressure on his neck. She heard him choke and gag as air tried to force its way down his still constricted throat. She reached up and, with difficulty, managed to undo the noose. Bran fell against her and she quickly stepped down and gently lay him down on the ground.

Bran wasn't sure just how it happened. One moment he had committed himself to ending it all, the next, he was still alive. He recalled the pain as the rope dug into his neck; the burn in his lungs and throat as his body tried in vain to draw more air in. But now that was all undone and he lay, gasping and wheezing, on the ground, someone had pulled him down. Slowly he was able to recover enough to see that it was Meera who saved him.

He just stared at her and finally, the words whisper soft, asked. "Why?"

She looked confused by this and he continued. "Why, I wanted to…? I've nothing left, nobody cares, I would be better off…"

Meera however shook her head at that.

"That's not true Bran, people do care about you. I do and I know your family does too; so does Jojen. We all care about you." She told him but Bran couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"You're lying." He said. "I'm just a burden to my family; they care more about Arya than me, she was all they talked about at dinner, and the only reason anyone else cares is…is because they feel sorry for me."

Meera shook her head and finally the words came tumbling out. "No Bran, you're not a burden to anyone, your family loves you. It's just there have been some things going on with Arya recently, things she didn't hide from them."

Bran felt a wave of shame at that; it was true, he had hidden everything from his family, no wonder they didn't talk about it or ask him.

Meera however wasn't finished as she continued.

"Jojen didn't become your friend because he was sorry for you, he did it because he truly wanted to be friends with you. Bran, I've always cared about you, now more than ever. I wish there was a better way for me to say this but, now isn't the time for big speeches."

Bran was still struggling, trying to get free from her, to find some other means to get away from all the pain and sadness. He was still feeling the pain and fighting hard to breath. Meera's next words however made him stop struggling.

"Bran, I love you…I have for a while, just, never had the courage to say, so please…" She reached up and gently cupped his cheek in her hand. "Don't…don't give up on life, there's still something here for you."

He stared at her; shocked by her words, he knew he had a crush on Meera, but he had no idea she felt the same way. He could see tears glistening in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. However the pain was still too near; he couldn't properly deal with such information right now. However, it certainly changed things, he suddenly felt different, his suicidal thoughts had receded, his attachment to life growing stronger again. Meera could see that and understood; she gave him a small smile, letting him know that. Bran let out a shaky breath, he was finding it easier to breathe again at least.

He turned his head and saw Gwen still standing at her window, staring at him, a mixture of shock and revulsion on her face. He glared and felt a surge of anger, he was absolutely certain now that any feelings that might have remained for Gwen were gone. She hadn't moved, hadn't even attempted to save him, Meera had however. He turned back to her, his expression softening.

"Meera I…" He began to speak, his voice was still weak. "…I don't wanna be here anymore. Could, could you take me to a hospital. I need to get help."

Meera smiled and nodded. "I think that would be a good idea, let's go."

With that she helped him to his feet and, as he was still unsteady, supported him as they walked back to her car. They stopped only to pick up his jacket which he put on and then they were in her car, driving to the hospital. As they drove Bran reflected on what Meera had told him; he felt ashamed for doubting his family and Jojen, he remembered losing his temper at Jojen and swore he would apologize to his friend at the first opportunity. He just hoped it would be soon. Finally they arrived at the hospital and got out the car. As they headed inside, for the first time in a long time, Bran felt something; hope.

Ned and Catelyn finally arrived home with Rickon. They had been out buying his new hockey equipment. Rickon hurried upstairs to put his equipment away, Cat headed through to the kitchen when she heard Ned call her name. She turned and hurried back, she saw her husband's expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked; starting to feeling worried.

Ned was looking at the phone, there was a message on the answer machine, it looked like he had played part of it and then stopped. "Didn't you say Bran was staying overnight at the Reed's?"

Catelyn nodded slowly, fear creeping its way through her. "I assumed that's where he was, why?"

Ned sighed.

"He doesn't sound like he's at the Reeds, listen, I put it back to the beginning."

With that he hit the play button and Catelyn froze as she heard Bran's voice, he sounded so broken.

"Hi mum, dad, I guess you aren't home. Maybe it's better this way, I really did want to hear your voice…" He broke off at that point.

Catelyn covered her mouth as she listened. _Gods, he's crying, but…'_

The message continued. "But at least there's still the answering machine. Oh, everything's going to be okay, I'll be okay, happy…free. You don't have to worry about me anymore – one less mouth to feed."

"Ned." Cat gasped as she heard that; Ned quickly embraced her as they heard the end of the message.

"Well, goodbye mum, dad. I love you both so much; please tell the rest of the family I love them too and that…I'm sorry."

The message ended, leaving them standing there in stunned shock and disbelief.

Cat immediately started going frantic; the call had been made hours ago, Bran could be anywhere, from the tone of the message she realized with great horror that he was planning to kill himself. She called Rickon down and asked him to call Jon, Ned was already calling Robb, they wanted to know if either of them had heard from Bran while she called Sansa to ask the same. Yet all the calls turned up fruitless; none of the three had heard from Bran, but now they were just as panicked as the rest of the family.

"Ned, what if he's…?" She choked out fearfully.

Ned nodded. "I know Cat, I just, wish there was some clue, something to tell us where he is."

Just then the house phone rang. Cat picked it up.

"Y-yes, hello." She said shakily.

It was a familiar female voice that answered, one Cat recognized as Meera Reed.

"It's about Bran."

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	25. Chapter 25

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 25 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you liked it, yeah, he is.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked the Starks reaction and yeah, it's good Meera managed to reach Bran and convince him to seek help, now things should hopefully get better for him.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Bran sat upright in his hospital bed; he had been checked over, his hand had been properly treated and bandaged and they had done all they could for him just now. He knew there were CCTV cameras in the room to keep an eye on him, to ensure he wouldn't try to kill himself again. Right now however that was the last thing on his mind. He still wasn't ready to deal with real feelings, but the knowledge of what Meera had confessed had given him a reason to go on living, he hoped to find more soon. Right now he simply sat quietly, Meera sat next to his bed, she held his hand, both of them smiled, neither of them said anything. Meera could see that Bran still held some turmoil, but for now he was safe. She just hoped things would be resolved soon; it hurt seeing him like this, but she knew he needed to talk to his parents. Meera had told him that she had called his parents and that they said they were on their way. He had nodded, smiling and they were simply waiting for them to arrive.

'_He looks a lot calmer now.' _Meera noted with some relief. _'But there's still suffering in his eyes, he still hasn't fully opened up. Hopefully, he will now, if not to me, at least to his parents, his siblings.'_

It was then they heard some conversation taking place outside; they knew then that Bran's family had arrived.

Bran trembled as he heard them; what would they think of him, knowing what he had done. He would soon get his answers; the door opened and his parents stepped in. Meera stood up, letting go of his hand.

"I think it's best if your parents talk to in private; Bran." She said softly.

He agreed and watched as Meera left the room. She stopped briefly to talk to his parents and he heard them thank her for saving his life. They then hurried over and sat down on either side of him, Bran felt a surge of guilt as he noticed the tears streaming down his mother's face; the look of anguish in his father's eyes.

Ned cleared his throat but his voice still caught in it as he asked. "What happened son?"

Bran trembled again, his mother gently squeezed his hand; finally the words burst out. "I'm so sorry…"

"Shhhh." His father gently soothed as he hugged him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, that I let things come to this."

"It's not your fault." Bran choked out, tears in his eyes.

Catelyn saw the tears and joined in the embrace; before gently trying to convince her son. "Just tell us what happened Bran."

Bran however shook his head; he wasn't ready, not yet, he needed a little more time.

"I-I can't."

Catelyn however was not deterred and asked. "Did something happen at school?"

Bran nodded. "Y-yes, but I can't tell you yet. I, I need a couple of minutes; get things straight."

They understood and accepted that; so, while Bran gathered his thoughts they spoke to him about other things, trying to keep his mood up.

Bran listened to their stories and smiled.

'_I was wrong, they never abandoned me, all this time I thought they didn't want me, that I was a burden.'_ He thought quietly. _'But I was wrong, they do love me, they do care…I…'_

He made up his mind and, during a lull, he spoke up and told them everything that had been happening to him. The constant mocking, the way he had been pushed around, beaten up, the incident in P.E. and all the other times he had been bullied. He didn't hesitate to name the culprits either; finally he reached the diner incident. He didn't gloss over it and offer any explanation, he simply told it as it was; he then explained about the incident in Gwen's house that dreadful Saturday. From there he progressed to telling them about what had happened that week at school, as a result of the incident at Gwen's house. His parents were shocked and outraged; he could see it on their faces. But they weren't angry at him, despite what he had done at the diner incident, clearly they knew that while what he had done was wrong, Gwen had completely overreacted and her actions were beyond comprehension. By the end however Bran just lay in his parent's arms, crying, as all the pain finally came out. As all the suffering and tension left him.

When he finally recovered and was once more seated upright, with his parents sitting either side of him, he felt better than he had in a long time. The terrible pain, the secret burden, all of it was gone, the great weight had been lifted and he felt much better. He wiped his eyes and calmed down. He could see the serious looks between his parents and knew, at last, something would get done. Right now however, there were some things he wanted to do.

"Can…I can I see Arya and Rickon now?" He asked.

They both smiled and nodded; Catelyn walked over to the door and called them in. The moment they came inside Arya rushed over to him and hugged him.

"Oh Gods, Bran, I'm so sorry, I should've tried harder, done more to protect you." She said all in a rush.

Bran smiled and returned the hug. "It's okay Arya, you don't need to apologize, I tried to keep it hidden remember, I'm the one who should have said something."

Arya managed a small smile and soon his siblings sat on the bed on either side of him. Ned then cleared his throat and explained.

"We already called the others, Robb and Sansa are on their way up; they should be here tomorrow. Jon's on his way too, he'll be here about mid-week."

Bran nodded; relieved, it was then he noticed something; the look on Rickon's face, it was clear his brother desperately wanted to say something.

Rickon finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke.

"Oh, you'll never guess who is outside." He said with a smirk.

Arya however glared at him and warned him. "Rickon…"

Rickon shook his head. "No Arya, he's the only one who doesn't know, he has the right to know."

Arya sighed and nodded; Rickon was correct about that after all. Bran was confused but had a feeling it had something to do with what Meera told him about Arya and his family.

"Who is it?"

Rickon smiled and then revealed. "Arya's girlfriend."

Bran gaped and then turned to Arya, surprised. "So, that's what, you…"

Arya nodded.

"Yeah."

Now it all clicked, realizing that Arya was a lesbian, she must have only recently come out and the family were talking about it. Going by their expressions they all supported her, for which Bran was glad, he knew he would too.

Something seemed to click with his parents too as their eyes widened and Cat spoke up. "So, Myrcella's the girl you've been dating."

That was another surprise that caught Bran off guard; Arya was dating Myrcella Baratheon. Arya confirmed this and then, at Bran's request, went and called Myrcella in, along with Jojen and Meera who were also outside.

Bran had never seen Jojen look so scared in his life. He was really pale, his eyes wide, he looked as if he was having a hard time believing what he saw.

Bran sighed. "Jojen, I'm really sorry; you were trying to be a good friend and I…I lost my temper, I just…"

"No Bran, it's alright." Jojen replied; looking relieved. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Bran nodded and smiled, he also smiled at Meera who smiled back. He then noticed Myrcella, sitting on a chair next to the bed, conversing with Catelyn. The girl was blushing, Bran could see why, she was worried about being too forward; after all, she was here with her girlfriend's family and two people who were complete strangers to her, and she had her hand on Arya's leg. Arya didn't seem to mind the hand resting on her thigh; Bran couldn't help but smile; although obviously they'd have to be careful, this was a hospital after all.

He leaned closer to Arya and whispered. "Please try not to get too touchy-feely around here."

That prompted Arya to blush and mock-glare at him. But Bran couldn't be happier; here he was, surrounded by people who, despite what Joffrey and his crew clearly believed, cared for him. He knew with certainty then that he wasn't alone.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	26. Chapter 26

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 26 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, liked those little interactions and the revelation of course :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you liked it; yeah, Meera's cool; glad you liked Bran talking to his family too :)  
Katie230: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; Yup, he's finally admitted it and yes, things will get better now. Glad you liked Bran finally telling the truth to his parents.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 26**

It was Monday; Bran was still in the hospital; the doctors had decided to keep him in for a few days. They had also arranged consultations with a psychologist to talk over his problems. Bran didn't feel as comfortable talking to a stranger as he did to his family, but he tried and was feeling better, after having spoken about the bullying he faced. The Psychologist had listened; did what he could support Bran and even offered a unique perspective, by informing him of a potential reason for Joffrey's bullying. After explaining Joffrey's previous connections to the family the psychologist theorized that Joffrey's actions were the result of misdirected anger. Joffrey was truly angry at Sansa for breaking up with him, but with Sansa away in college and out of his reach he began taking it out on Bran, the Stark sibling still at school who was least likely to fight back. While it didn't justify any of Joffrey's actions it certainly allowed him to understand why Joffrey did what he did. Somehow it changed thing, suddenly, Bran didn't feel so afraid of Joffrey anymore, if anything, he pitied him.

'_He's so fixated on what he feels was Sansa wronging him that he…he can't see anything else; it's actually sad if you think about it.'_ He thought to himself.

Finally, with a sigh got up from his hospital bed and headed through to the bathroom.

He briefly glanced around the bathroom; the staff at the hospital had been careful and left nothing to chance. The bathroom had been cleared of any and all sharp objects and the mirror, which was also the door to the medicine cabinet, was securely fastened. He understood that such precautions were necessary to ensure he didn't hurt himself again, so he tried not to let it get to him. He moved slowly over to the mirror and looked carefully at his reflection. He inhaled sharply; what he saw horrified him. Being from the north he was already naturally pale, but now he was white as a sheet, he was also normally skinny but due to his lack of appetite since the basement incident he hadn't been eating properly. Therefore he had actually lost weight, the hospital pyjamas actually hung loosely on his body. His lack of sleep was evident from the deep bags under his eyes and he could see the deep red welts on his neck from the noose. He cringed, it was all too clear what he had done to himself

He shook his head as he considered how he looked, known how it had happened. _'It's scary, how could I have let things get so bad.'_

Just then he heard his name being called and he turned and left the bathroom. He stepped out and was nearly lifted off the ground by Robb as he hugged him, over Robb's shoulder he could see Sansa.

Robb put Bran down and stepped back.

"I'm so glad you're okay Bran." He said quickly.

Bran nodded as Sansa also hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry I worried you guys." He said softly.

They both shook their heads and reassured him before asking him what happened.

Bran sighed and nodded. "I…I need a minute, to get myself ready. So um, could we talk about something else first?"

They agreed and began talking about their colleges. Finally Bran was able to work up the courage again to tell them the truth about what had been happening to him. By the time he was finished they were horrified, especially Sansa who immediately hugged Bran again.

"Oh Gods Bran, I'm so sorry." She gasped. "That creep, he's doing this because of me; he's making you suffer because I broke up with him."

Bran shook his head. "That's what the psychologist said but, it's not your fault Sansa, it's Joffrey's. But this won't last, I can't just, I can't just let him walk all over me anymore."

His siblings smiled at him; relieved that he was now ready to stand up for himself and hopefully resolve this once and for all. Soon the rest of the family arrived and they all spoke; Bran was relieved to note that everything seemed to be getting better; he hoped sincerely that it would continue like this, he had suffered so much; he just wanted things to improve.

Bran had stayed over in the hospital longer than he thought, it was now Wednesday, his family came every day and spent time with him, and so did Meera and Jojen and their parents. Right now he was talking with Myrcella who had stopped by with Arya (who was right now getting something from the cafeteria), when he hears a knock at the door.

"Bran?" They both looked up and Bran smiled widely, it was Jon.

Myrcella quickly stood up, and smiled, she remembered him vaguely from the visits to the Stark house when she was younger. Jon walked over and smiled at Bran before ruffling his hair and introducing himself to Myrcella, who greeting him politely and went to look for Arya.

Jon sat down, smiling. "Oh...I thought I saw my old bike out there."

"Yeah, Arya's been using it." Bran explained.

"Yeah; she told me." Jon replied before then asking. "So how are you?"

Bran answered almost automatically. "Good."

He could see Jon looking at the marks on his neck and bran felt so self-conscious of what he had done.

Jon finally sighed and said softly. "That was a really stupid thing to do."

Bran sighed sadly and nodded. "I know, Jon. I just couldn't find any other way, I just felt so...so..."

"...Alone... lost. I understand, Bran, better than you may think." Jon replied and Bran froze as he understood just what Jon was telling him.

Jon sighed and then said. "I'm going to tell you something that no one knows - that I just never could tell."

So he cleared his throat and prepared to begin.

Jon took a moment to prepare himself and then finally began.

"Do you remember those 6 months my mom took off to work in Essos?"

Bran nodded and Jon continued. "I begged her to let me live with you guys for that time, but no. She was insistent on sending me to my dad's. I know he tries his best, but between his problems with his parents, and that he was trying to fix his marriage with Elia again. I felt alone, Rhaenys was much older and already in college, and Aegon was studying abroad in Pentos i think."

He sighed and took a deep breath before continuing. "I was left alone for most of the time. My mom didn't have the time to call me - she would call me 2 times a week at most - dad wouldn't let me visit you guys. I could hear him and Elia fighting every night, even without knowing the reason I blamed myself. So one night I bought from a guy at school enough pills, and that night dad was working late and Elia was at a meeting, and I took them."

Bran stared at him in shock; Jon continued. "They took a while to take effect, and I was sitting in my room there, and on the wall was the photos of the family, I looked at mum smiling, and you guys with Uncle Ned and Aunt Cat - i used to envy you so much for being normal - and even dad, Aegon, Rhaenys and Elia. Then, something changed I knew I couldn't go through with what I was doing, so I called poison control right away, luckily they saved me."

"Jon..." Bran gasped looked at his cousin with tears in his eyes. Jon sighed and put a hand on Bran's shoulder.

"I want you to call me if you ever feel like this again."

Bran nodded in agreement, just as Arya entered and threw herself at Jon, hugging him enthusiastically; Bran couldn't help but smile.

Bran was finally home, it was Friday and he had been discharged on Thursday. The bandage on his hand was removed, only a thin white scar remained. He was currently lying on his bed, gently feeling the welts on his neck; they had mostly faded; soon only the scars would remain. His bedroom door was open, he knew his parents were scared when he closed the door and would come to check on him every few minutes. He understood and couldn't blame them; however he was surprised when he heard a knock.

"Mum, the door is open." He called out.

"It's not your mother." Meera said prompting him to sit up; she stood in the doorway, smiling awkwardly.

He smiled gently and greeted her. "Meera; hi."

She stepped into the room, still smiling. "Hi, Bran; how are you feeling?"

She closed the door as she stepped into the room.

Bran bit his lip and pointed out. "Mum gets worried when I close the door."

"She told me it was okay, when I said needed to speak with you privately." She informed him.

"Okay." he said, curious, wondering what Meera had to say. Did she intend to finally talk to him about her confession that day?

Sure enough she cleared her throat and then announced. "So I wanted to talk to you about what I told you on that day..."

"Meera, I..."

She shook her head. "No please, let me talk. If I don't I might lose my nerve." She paused, took a deep breath and continued. "I meant what I said, Bran, every word. I like you a lot and I wanted, I want to be you. I just didn't know how to tell you, because you're my brother's friend. I thought it would be awkward that I saw you as more but i couldn't acknowledge it..." She told him, looking down.

Bran sighed and decided he had to tell Meera the whole truth "Meera, I liked Gwen, she was supposed to be my girlfriend and then wife, that's what I had decided. So much so that I closed myself to the world, to other changes, so much that I couldn't see you, and your pretty eyes, and how you make me smile and play videogames with me or when we ran in the swamps. I couldn't see it before; but I can now. Meera, do you…?"

He didn't know just what to say, but Meera understood and smiled. However she had to ask to make sure.

"Bran, you just went through a bad phase of your life. Are you sure?"

"I am, Meera." He said with conviction.

She moved closer to him, sitting next to him on the bed, and leaned in close, Bran felt his breathing hitch and then remembered something, he pulled back.

"Wait, my glasses." He said quickly.

She tilted her head, confused. "Yes, your glasses, Bran. What do they have…?"

He explained quickly. "I should take them off, they make me look...dorky."

To his surprise Meera laughed at that and shook her head.

"Bran, I like you like how look, there's no need to take off your glasses."

"But Meera..."

"No." was all she said before kissing him, marking the official beginning of their relationship.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	27. Chapter 27

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 27 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, it was pretty sad, but at least he got help; yeah, it's good :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah; at least he was able to get help, glad you liked the part with Arya :) Glad you like the kiss too :)  
Katie230: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; they sure are :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 27**

Gwen strutted through the front door of the school; smiling to herself. She could feel the eyes on her and knew the boys were checking her out. It was reasons like this she chose short socks and wore her skirt shorter than normal length. She could therefore display her best asset; her long slender legs. She had worked so hard for all of this; that was why, inside, she was frantic. After that disastrous Saturday where Bran had hanged himself in _her_ back garden, only to be saved by some obviously _filthy_ Crannog girl; she hadn't heard a word about him. The following week Bran had been a no show at school and she had panicked.

'_What if he tried again after that; I know why he did that after all.'_ She thought to herself. _'What if he is trying to get his blood on my hands…Make me responsible for him killing himself?'_

Yet she allowed none of this to show as she joined her friends; Boros immediately put his arm around her; smirking all the while as he continued bragging to Joffrey and the others. She half-listened to this while worrying about the problem regarding Bran.

She rationalized her thoughts as best she could. _'Bran's not dead, we'd hear about it from his siblings if he was.'_

Just then one of her friends rushed up and suddenly threw everything for a loop.

"Guys, I just heard, Bran Stark's coming back to school today."

Gwen froze; terror gripping her heart; as all around her, the others started murmuring to each other.

She could hear Joffrey jeering.

"What, that loser's coming back, didn't he get the message he's not wanted here?" He was saying. "Honestly, idiot's a glutton for punishment it seems. C'mon boys, let's go and see him when he arrives, teach him that disappearing for a week isn't going to save him."

With that they stood and began to head towards the entrance. Gwen hesitated briefly before following them. She wondered what they would say to Bran, if they tried to use the pictures to threaten him they'd be bluffing, she had the only copy of them now, stored on her phone. All the others had been destroyed before they could be caught with them by teachers. Still she had to ensure that when Bran arrived, that he learned that he still couldn't say anything. Soon they were gathered at the school entrance, waiting for Bran to arrive; Gwen stood slightly separate from the others, making sure she stood out, so Bran would know she was there to warn him. However when the Stark family's car showed up, only Rickon got out of it, along with his parents which surprised those watching. The three of them headed into the school and then separated; Rickon going to the cafeteria while his parents walked to a different part of the school.

Gwen was surprised by this. _'If Bran really is coming maybe…Maybe he's coming with his sister.'_

As she had that thought she heard the roar of Arya Stark's Gods awful motorbike and turned.

Arya did indeed have a passenger on her motorbike, but it was not Bran. It was a girl. This confused Gwen and confusion turned to shock as they removed their helmets, revealing the passenger to Myrcella; Joffrey's sister.

'_What the hell, what is she doing getting a ride of Arya…Ugh, I can't think about that just now, where's Bran?'_

Gwen was so caught up in her thoughts; she missed the obvious answer to her question even as it appeared before her. Arya and Myrcella; now both confident to be open in their relationship, linked hands and began walking towards the school. Joffrey however did see them and glared.

'_What is wrong with them?'_ He thought furiously. _'It's bad enough my sister's a dyke and that she's dating that Stark girl, but to show it in public, they're just trying to humiliate me.'_

Joffrey quickly decided he had to show his friends he didn't like what he saw, just as they didn't. Therefore as the girls were close enough he spat at their feet.

"Dykes." He sneered at them; making it clear his thoughts on them.

Arya turned, glaring and was about to advance on him, but Myrcella gently touched her shoulder. "Don't Arya, he's not worth it."

So Arya turned and both girls left, leaving both groups still waiting for Bran.

When Bran finally arrived both groups were surprised. A car none of them recognized soon drove up and parked; Bran got out of it along with a young woman in her twenties; Gwen recognized her as the Crannog girl who had saved Bran that day. Joffrey and the boys however had never seen her before.

"Who is she?" Meryn asked; confused.

Boros shrugged. "Hell if I know; could be another of the Stark kids, one we don't know about."

Joffrey sneered at that; as if Eddard and Catelyn Stark didn't have enough children, his mother always said that such a big family wasn't right in this day and age. But he immediately saw something that dispelled that suggestion. The boys saw it too; the girl's eyes weren't blue or grey but green; so she wasn't one of the Stark kids. Her build also told them right away she was one of the Crannogs. What surprised Joffrey the most was the fact she was holding hands with Bran as they approached the school. Then, shocking all those watching, the two kissed.

Joffrey's thoughts went into overdrive. _'What the fuck, is that girl blind, who in their minds would want to kiss Bran. She must have really low standards; seriously…She's not drop dead gorgeous but she is at least pretty.'_

It was then Bran came close; Joffrey geared himself up to taunt the boy. Gwen stood nearby, eyes wide in horror as she beheld the welts on Bran's neck. Then, further shocking them, Bran walked right past them, ignoring them completely. Meera hoped Bran would be okay on his own until he was called for. She headed to the principal's office; she needed to come along and explain her part in everything that happened. They had kissed again before separating; with Bran going to the cafeteria. She knew that after she was done and his parents were done, Bran would be called for, but until then he was at the mercy of those who had bullied him. Her main hope was that Bran's new found confidence would hold.

Gwen sat in the cafeteria with the others. She couldn't believe what she had witnessed; Bran and that girl kissing, had it been real; were they truly together.

'_I can't believe it, if he's, if he's really dating that _woman_; then maybe he…No, I don't trust this.'_ She thought to herself. _'I'll have to keep an eye on him, make sure he knows he's still not free to risk humiliating me.'_

It was then she saw something else that surprised her; Myrcella and Shireen were sitting talking together as usual, yet Arya, who normally shunned the company of girls, was sitting with them.

Gwen couldn't believe it. _'This day just keeps getting weirder, I swear it. Bran acting like this and bringing that girl; Arya hanging out with girls, whatever next, are we going to…Is Myrcella putting her hand up Arya's skirt?!'_

She couldn't believe what she was seeing, she was right. Under the table, while talking to Shireen, Myrcella was stroking Arya's thigh. As she did so her hand slowly slid under Arya's skirt and didn't seem to be stopping.

'_Ugh, I can't watch this; how disgusting, in school too, have they no shame. Arya better be wearing underwear…Although I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't for something like that.'_ Gwen thought angrily to herself as she tore her gaze away, noticing Joffrey approaching Bran.

Bran was busy putting all his family's phone numbers into his new phone, along with Jojen, Meera's and Myrcella's. As he finished he felt someone standing next to him. Anticipating who it was, he wasn't disappointed or surprised to see Joffrey. He knew Joffrey could see the marks on his neck.

"Loser; we were happy without you, you'd have been off staying away." He remarked. "Look at you, so pathetic, trying to hang yourself because of a few photos. Yet you couldn't even do that properly."

Bran ignored him; he knew it wouldn't be long now, he just had to stay calm and focus on what would be awaiting him.

Joffrey wasn't done anyway and suddenly said something Bran couldn't ignore. "By the way, since there's only one reason a girl would be seen dead with you…How much did you pay that slut to come in and kiss you like that?"

Bran glared. "Shut up, she's not a slut; she loves me and I love her; not that you'd understand that; fixated on Sansa breaking up with you and taking it out on me; and you call me pathetic."

Joffrey glowered; he couldn't believe the little shit dared to say that; yet before he could react the sound of the PA system turning on caught everyone's attention. Joffrey glared at the familiar voice of the principal; whom he greatly disliked.

"Bran Stark, please report to the principal's office at once."

With that Bran stood up; Joffrey stepped in front of him. "You say one word."

Bran shook his head. "Excuse me…Oh and, I'm not scared of you anymore, so don't bother."

He then walked off; heading for the Principal's office; finally looking towards settling things once and for all.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 28 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Boris Yeltsins: Yup, he is :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Katie230: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and you like Bran's new confidence; well, here you go, they're about to learn their fate, remember however, view it in their perspective to understand how it affects them. Glad you liked Arya and Myrcella too :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Glad you liked that.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked Bran's new confidence and Arya and Myrcella too :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 28**

Principal Lannister shifted slightly on the cushions set high on his chair; he was deeply troubled by what had just been reported to him. He had called Bran Stark to the office; in order to try and get a first-hand account of what the boy's parents had told him had occurred. Eddard and Catelyn Stark sat on chairs at the side of the room, with them was a young woman named Meera Reed; who also had information regarding this and had told him about her part in it. Finally, after some time, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Tyrion called out.

The door opened and his secretary, Shae, stepped in and announced. "Bran Stark is here, Mr. Lannister."

Tyrion nodded. "Ah, good, bring him in please."

Shae nodded and stepped back, Bran stepped into the office.

"Please, take a seat Bran." Tyrion stated, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

Bran nodded and walked over to take the seat. As he walked Catelyn observed her son and was relieved to note that, compared to when she saw him at the hospital, he was looking a lot better. His eating and sleeping habits had returned to normal, he had regained the weight he had lost and looked healthy again, the only remaining sign of what had happened were the marks on his neck. Once Bran sat down Tyrion explained why he had called him to the office and; after only a brief hesitation, during which he had looked over at his parents and Meera, Bran gave his account of what had happened.

Tyrion frowned after Bran had finished; it all tallied with what he had been told. Some matters, rather serious ones too, had occurred outside of school. So, despite Bran showing some initial reluctance, they all agreed to call in the police and now an officer had arrived.

"Obviously we'll need to verify what you have told us Bran." Tyrion remarked.

The officer pondered and then suggested. "Mr. Lannister; correct me if I'm wrong, but apart from two of the incidents that occurred here at school; wouldn't the others have been caught on CCTV cameras."

Tyrion nodded slowly. "Yes, you're right." He quickly pressed a button on the intercom on his desk. "Shae, could you please bring me all copies of the CCTV footage from the security office please."

"Yes Mr. Lannister." She said quickly and Tyrion switched off the intercom.

Sometime later the tapes had been brought in; they quickly reviewed them and verified much of Bran's story.

"Well, well." Tyrion remarked; shaking his head. "This gets more serious the more I hear about it. It's strange, I'm not the least bit surprised about my nephew's part in this."

The office remained grim. "Indeed, if he's telling the truth about these incidents, then I believe we can agree Master Stark is telling the truth about the others. I'll attempt to procure evidence from this diner…But; these pictures…"

Bran quickly spoke up. "They didn't want to get caught, so they destroyed the copies, I overheard that Gwen has the only copies left, on her phone."

"How fortuitous for you then Bran." Tyrion exclaimed. "For Gwen had her phone confiscated for using it in class; officer."

With that Tyrion produced Gwen's phone from his desk and handed it to the officer.

It did not take long for the officer to find the pictures and verify Bran's story completely. Tyrion made a few more calls on the PA system and soon Arya, Myrcella and Jojen were also present and explaining what they had seen, backing up Bran's story and detailing what they had witnessed.

Finally Tyrion sighed. "This is certainly much deeper and more serious than I thought. I want to thank you all for coming forward with this; especially you Bran, I know it can't have been easy. Please, all of you, take a seat and we'll deal with this right away."

So, Bran, his sister, best friend and his sister's girlfriend, joined his parents and girlfriend. Tyrion spoke briefly with the officer, who was slightly incredulous.

"I must say I'm surprised that they were so brazen as to bully someone in areas where there was CCTV."

Tyrion shook his head. "Many students don't believe there actually is CCTV, they think it's a ruse to try and convince them to behave. You saw the way people behaved; still, it is fortunate for Bran that it exists."

The officer nodded and Tyrion then made one ore PA announcement, calling Joffrey, his gang, Gwen and the girls involved in the basement incident to the office. Shae showed them all in and they were soon standing before Tyrion's desk, many of them looked confused, including Gwen; Joffrey glared belligerently at his uncle, they all spotted Bran and shared a look, suddenly realizing what this had to be about, that soon changed the atmosphere.

Tyrion glared at the assembled crowd.

"I hope you all appreciate the severity of all this; I've called you hear in relation to some…disturbing information I've received."

Joffrey scoffed. "Oh please uncle, you believe this…"

Tyrion cut across his nephew severely. "We're in school Joffrey; I am your principal here. Now, as I was saying. You are all in serious trouble and we do not just have Bran's word for what happened. The people with him have verified his story, what they've told me tallies with him. In addition we have evidence; these."

He directed their attention to the CCTV videos, even showing a few of them, almost immediately the assembled group paled as even Joffrey could see he would be unable to worm his way out of this one. Even worse, he knew that these added credibility to the statements that couldn't be backed up.

"Beyond this however…" Tyrion explained. "We have certain issues taking place out of school, which require police intervention."

The girls all shared a nervous look; Gwen however interjected.

"Surely you can't believe that…"

Her words died as the office revealed her phone. "This serves as evidence; we've found the pictures on it."

Bran could only watch; amazed at how quickly things had changed. For so long these people had cast a shadow over his life, yet now; when confronted with what they had done, they were cornered.

Tyrion nodded slowly and then cleared his throat.

"I have discussed this with Mr. and Mrs. Stark; the officer here and we have decided on your punishments. However; I must say, I am shocked at your behaviour throughout this, don't any of you feel any remorse or shame at all."

Joffrey sneered; the others all shared looked but said nothing; but then, a lone voice spoke up.

"I do." It was Sandor. "This has gone too far; and I am truly sorry."

His words were directed towards Bran who was even more amazed; just as amazed as the others.

"Well Bran, do you accept his apology?" Tyrion asked; clearly surprised.

Bran nodded. "Yes; I…I do, thank you Sandor."

Sandor merely grunted and waited for his fate.

Tyrion sighed. "Well, I'll have to take this into account but for now…All you boys; until a full investigation is completed and the final decisions made, you are all indefinitely suspended."

"What!?" Joffrey cried as the other boys, except Sandor all gasped. "You can't…!"

"I can, I'm the principal, now for the rest of you." Tyrion replied sharply as he turned his attention to the girls. "Your actions were more serious and certainly served to be the catalyst that pushed Bran Stark towards attempting suicide. Sadly, the harshest punishment _I_ can give is to expel you from school. I'll leave any other punishments to those better suited to give them, but you are all forthwith expelled."

For this crowd, suspension of expulsion was considered shameful; it ruined their future, so while it didn't seem that much to many, knowing their mind set, Bran knew they were certainly coming worse off, however their punishments weren't done yet.

Finally, the officer stepped forwards.

"In addition to the expulsion; considering your role as the leader of this little plan, plus having pictures like those on your phone…Guinevere Frey, you are under arrest."

Gwen leapt from her seat, eyes wide. "What, no, you can't do this to me, I've not…"

The officer then explained. "You are charged with attempted manslaughter, harassment and possession of child pornography."

Gwen could only stare in shock, unable to resist as she was cuffed. In desperation she looked over at Bran who was sitting between his mother and the Crannog girl.

"Bran…" She cried, putting as much desperation into her voice as possible.

Bran just shook his head. "Sorry Gwen, but it's too little too late."

Then she saw his final insult to her; he took the Crannog girl's hand and squeezed it gently. He had chosen the filthy swamp brat over her; her control over him was completely gone. She was led out; unable to comprehend how she had lost everything so quickly. Then, on Tyrion's orders the other girls and Joffrey and his crew left the office and were sent home from school, with letters also being sent to their homes. Bran felt himself relax, finally, after so long, it was over.

* * *

End of chapter, two more to go, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	29. Chapter 29

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 29 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Katie230: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Boris Yeltsin: Well it's Tyrion, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Uh, okay, I'll take it that's a good thing; well it's Tyrion.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, well, that's all good.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

Tyrion finished making a few notes and then sighed.

"Well, that was dramatic." He stated to those remaining in the office; before shaking his head. "I don't suppose I'll ever hear the end of this from my sister; but that's the job."

Bran bowed his head; he knew that was going to be an issue; Cersei was not going to be happy about what had happened to her son.

Catelyn however spoke up at that moment. "I wouldn't be surprised, but we will deal with it."

Tyrion nodded slowly and then spoke again. "Well, I think the lot of you should get back to class; except you Bran, I need to speak with you a bit longer."

They all nodded and Arya, Myrcella, Rickon and Jojen all returned to class. Then Tyrion nodded and explained to Bran.

"I appreciate this was difficult for you Bran; although obviously it's not over yet. There's still much to do, and this doesn't mean the bullying is going to stop all at once."

Bran nodded. "I know sir; I'll, I'll manage, I know it'll take work, but things should get better."

Tyrion agreed. "Yes; but in future, do not let things get this bad, okay, do not be afraid to ask for help, understand."

Bran nodded again; he knew that things were still going to be difficult and there would still be much for him and his family to do. But for now, things were better and he could look forward to recovering.

Finally Tyrion cleared his throat.

"Well, I understand that this put quite a bit of pressure on you Bran." He stated. "I think it would best if you took the rest of the day off; you can come back tomorrow."

Bran bit his lip and looked at his parents; Catelyn noticed his expression and explained.

"Mr. Lannister; that might be difficult; my husband and I need to go to work after we leave here. After what's happened, Bran really shouldn't be left on his own for a while yet."

Bran recalled how the doctor had explained this to his parents; while he found it irksome he knew it was necessary. It was simply a precaution in case he suffered a relapse and his suicidal thoughts returned.

However Meera then presented a solution. "I'll stay with Bran; it's no trouble, I don't mind."

They all turned to look at her; she smiled at Bran and squeezed his hand again before looking over to his parents and the Principal.

"Well, that seems to settle it, wouldn't you say?" Tyrion remarked.

Ned and Cat both nodded and accepted this and so they left the principal's office. They walked through the school and headed out to the car park.

As they stepped out Bran sighed and turned to his parents. "Principal Lannister is right; Cersei Lannister's going to hear this from Joffrey first; he'll twist it to something else, make himself seem innocent."

Ned smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry son, we'll deal with whatever happens, when it happens. You just relax now; you've had a hard enough time already."

Bran nodded and smiled; his father was right.

So, after saying goodbye to his parents he got into Meera's car and she drove them away from the school. As they drove back to the Stark mansion Meera noted Bran was suddenly rather quiet.

"Bran, are you okay?"

He jumped, as if taken by surprise before smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry, I was just thinking. I was just remembering all those…lost opportunities we could've had…I guess however, it's better things worked out this way, at least we're together now."

Meera smiled at that. "Yeah I…I guess you're right. Back then, I didn't have the courage to admit the truth and I probably wouldn't have, it probably wouldn't have worked."

They both agreed and remained quiet; trying to relax and calm down from the drama they had dealt with at the school. Finally they arrived and, after Meera parked her car, they stepped out and entered the Stark Mansion; Bran turned awkwardly with Meera.

"I just gotta…go get changed."

She nodded. "No problem, I'll be in the living room."

He hurried upstairs and changed out of his school uniform into more casual clothes. He carefully adjusted his glasses and examined his reflection in the mirror briefly.

'_I should've guessed, Meera said she liked how I looked in my glasses; she always did.'_ He noted. _'That should've revealed that Meera was the perfect one for me, Gwen wanted me to change, just to suit her, Meera accepts me for who I am.'_

Smiling he finished getting changed and headed downstairs where Meera was waiting.

Meera sat on the couch; she hadn't bothered to turn the TV on, deciding to wait for Bran instead. He soon entered and sat down next to her. Without hesitating he then kissed her; she returned the kiss eagerly, impressed that he had taken the initiative in this case. When they finally parted, gasping for air, they leaned back on the couch. Meera hesitantly reached her hand to gently trace the marks on Bran's neck. He didn't object and didn't seem to mind. Finally she decided to ask him what was on her mind.

"Bran, what are you going to do about tomorrow, when you go back to school?"

Bran sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know; it'll be hard but, I've got to face it. I know I'm not alone now, so I feel I can do this; I'll just wait and see what happens."

Meera smiled. "You're right, you're not alone; we'll all be here to help you, no matter what happens. Just remember, no more secrets, alright."

Bran nodded and they kissed again. When they finally parted again, Meera noted the look in Bran's eyes.

"You're tired."

Bran nodded. "Yeah; just, going through all that, it was so exhausting."

Meera smiled and said. "You can sleep if you want; I'll still be here."

Bran smiled and they both lay down on the couch, embracing each other. Bran had removed his glasses and allowed his exhaustion to take over. Before finally drifting off he kissed Meera one last time. Meera smiled and returned the kiss; happy for Bran's sake, that everything was finally improving.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	30. Chapter 30

**The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel**

Chapter 30 of my Game of Thrones story, the epilogue, enjoy :)

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, read on to see what happened to them and remember how they would view things when you do, it's all about perspective after all.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Katie230: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well, here you go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Bran Stark smiled; for him everything changed after that day. Now at eighteen he was seated with the others in his year at graduation. When he went back to school after informing the principal of the truth; he gradually managed to catch up on what he had missed. As he had guessed and been warned, the bullying didn't just stop, but slowly it began to fade, especially as news spread, particularly about Gwen's arrest. Following further investigation all the girls who had been expelled had not been permitted another chance, despite complaints from their parents. Joffrey and his crew also found themselves being expelled with the exception of Sandor; his apology and genuine remorse had accomplished that much at least. He took his second chance to heart and soon Bran found those who attempting to physically bully him began avoiding him, mostly due to Sandor's intimidating presence nearby. Like the girls many of the boy's parents, especially Cersei, raised complaints but it did no good. Cersei in particular was enraged but when confronted with the evidence her rage turned to shock, then anger at Joffrey. Bran wasn't sure exactly what happened after that, but Joffrey was soon in a 'special' school and Tommen was instead being prepared by Robert to one day take over the family business.

Bran let out a slow careful sigh, he had been nervous, as valedictorian he had to deliver a speech. In all it went rather well; although he could tell most eyes weren't on his face. Despite what people probably expected of him, Bran didn't hide the scars on his neck, he saw no reason to do so. As the names were being called out for the diplomas; Bran reflected on how, despite all the pain and terrible things that happened, things had indeed worked out for the best. He and Meera were still going strong and in truth, their relationship seemed to get better every day. Just then he heard his name being called and he ascended the stage to collect his diploma; he could hear the applause and cheering and, after taking the diploma and shaking Principal Lannister's hand, he returned to his seat. On the way he spotted his family all seated together; Myrcella was with them, leaning in close to Arya as they both clapped their hands, Arya occasionally whistling. He could see the looks of pride on their faces and also spotted Meera, smiling widely. She notices his gaze and winked; he smiled back, blushing slightly and sat back down.

'_Yes.'_ He decided happily. _'Things have definitely got better.'_

As the rest of the students got their diplomas; he reflected on a few of the other incidents that had occurred after his meeting with the principal. The most notable thing that happened was that, despite the severity of her crime, Gwen was bailed rather quickly from jail by her grandfather. However she was unable to return to school as no amount of money or threats from Walder Frey would change Tyrion Lannister's mind. In addition; after attempting to confront Bran about what happened, Gwen was now subject to a restraining order which prevented her from coming anywhere near him. While enraged she had no choice but to comply, or she'd be arrested again.

At the after party, which took place outside, Bran sat on a picnic bench with Meera and his family. Under the table Meera held his hand; occasionally sending him glances out the corner of her eye. He found himself behaving the same way. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have ended up with Meera. He cursed himself for all those missed chances; for allowing himself to be so deluded he failed to see what was right in front of him the whole time. He had been so blind, but now, they were together and he was happy.

* * *

End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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